The UK government has proposed a new law that could give Britons the “right to be forgotten”. Under the proposals, the EU's GDPR legislation would be made into UK law, in order to make the country's transition from the EU easier. If the Data Protection Bill is passed, Britons will be able to find out what information is stored about them by companies online, and demand that their data be deleted. This would include everything, from names and online browsing history, to even DNA. It is intended to give Britons full control over their digital data. As part of the proposal, internet companies such as Facebook and Google will be forced to delete children's data once they reach adulthood. As well as this, parents will be able to give or refuse consent for their child's information to be stored. It will also be made a criminal offence for organisations to intentionally or recklessly create situations where an individual can be identified from anonymised data. Any organisation or internet company that breaks the rules could be fined up to £17 million or 4% of the firm's global turnover. The Digital Minister Matt Hancock said that the “measures are designed to support businesses in their use of data, and give consumers the confidence that their data is protected”.
