John Edwards has this week commenced his new role as UK Information Commissioner, succeeding Elizabeth Denham.
Armed with legal experience from his background working as a barrister, Edwards starts his five-year tenure having spent the previous eight years working as Privacy Commissioner for New Zealand.
His term begins at the start of what will be a key 2022 for information rights in the UK. The Information Commissioner’s Office [ICO] will be working closely with ministers in the coming weeks and months on proposals to reform the Data Protection Act and bring in a new Online Safety Bill. Around this, the ICO will also be seeking to strengthen its relationships with other regulatory bodies in the digital sphere.
A major priority for the Information Commissioner’s Office this year will also be to drive forward plans to protect children online, through an Age Appropriate Design Code which has already seen numerous global tech giants make changes to uphold children’s rights online.
Highlighting every person’s right to privacy as he gets to work in his new role, Edwards commented: “Privacy is a right not a privilege. In a world where our personal data can drive everything from the healthcare that we receive to the job opportunities we see; we all deserve to have our data treated with respect.
“My role is to work with those to whom we entrust our data, so they are able to respect our privacy with ease whilst still reaping the benefits of data-driven innovation. I also want to empower people to understand and influence how they want their data to be used, and to make it easy for people to access remedies if things go wrong.
“I know from experience that the team at the Information Commissioner’s Office are entirely dedicated to privacy and information rights, and to supporting organisations and consumers alike. The ICO has an international reputation for forward thinking and clear assessment of the practicalities of the law, which I will continue to promote. I know too of the active data protection community in the UK – I look forward to hearing the experiences of businesses, the public sector, civil society and the privacy community.
“I also welcome the opportunity to oversee the crucial Freedom of Information Act. Transparency that helps people understand and trust decisions made on their behalf has perhaps never been as relevant as across the past two years. I look forward to ensuring the law continues to be relevant in our changing world.”
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
