A Vote To Leave The EU Could Have Far Reaching Implications On Data Protection Laws

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will enter into force on 25 May 2018 and a vote to leave will mean that the UK will no longer be required to implement the new laws into its legal framework

The GDPR will, however, automatically apply to many UK organisations that offer goods or services to EU residents or monitor the behaviour of EU residents

A vote to leave will trigger a two-year negotiation period that will determine the UK's onward relationship with the EU. As such, data protection law in the UK will be in a state of flux for a period of time providing uncertainty to UK organisations

Two potential scenarios in the event of a vote to leave are as follows:

1. UK leaves the EU and remains part of European Economic Area – the GDPR will still apply. This is because the four freedoms of Europe (the free movement of goods, capital, services and people) are incorporated into the European Economic Area agreement