Post-Brexit – What's The Potential Fallout For Data Protection?

The result in the recent Brexit referendum creates questions on how the UK's decision to leave the EU will impact stakeholders across the key sectors of the UK economy.

We take a look at what Brexit means for technology, data protection and privacy.

Existing UK rules

One of the main aspects of the EU and the Single Market is the harmonisation of national laws. Currently, the regulation and protection of personal data in the UK is primarily governed by the Data Protection Act 1998. These rules, like their Irish equivalent, derive from EU law. In the wake of the Brexit vote, the Information Commissioner's Office ("ICO") – the UK's regulator and the counterpart of the Irish Data Protection Commissioner – issued a statement regarding the on-going status of the 1998 Act. In its statement, the ICO made clear that the 1998 Act will remain law post-Brexit.