Data Protection and Digital Information Bill
The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill was discussed in parliament in 2023 and 2024, but was dropped in May 2024 when the UK election was called. Although it is no longer going to become law, the Bill highlights how easy it is for governments to remove the safeguards that currently apply to people's genetic information.
If the Bill had been passed, everyone in the UK would have lost control over how their genetic information is shared and used. This could have created a 'surveillance state', in which every individual and their relatives could be tracked using their DNA. People's genetic information would have been open to commercial exploitation and to security risks resulting from misuse by foreign governments.
Resources
- Press releases
- GeneWatch publications
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GeneWatch UK Briefing: The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill: A dangerous loss of personal control over genetic information
11th December 2023
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GeneWatch UK comments on the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill: serious implications for public trust in the use of genetic data
20th November 2023
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GeneWatch UK Briefing: The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill: A dangerous loss of personal control over genetic information
- External links