TheBritish Computer Society(BCS) has
added its voice to a growing chorus ofconcern about the data sharing provisions in the Coroners
& Justice Billnow going through
parliament.
The BCS has written to MPs asking them to kill the bill, saying,
“It drives a coach and horses through the Data Protection Act.”
The bill, now in the committee stage, contains provisions that
allow the government to
share personal data between departments. It is a cornerstone of
the government's efforts to streamline processes and make
administration more efficient.
But the Information Commissioner's Office and privacy advocates
have expressed deep reservations, saying the powers it grants are
too wide.
The BCS told MPs that paragraphs 152-154 and Schedule 18 of the
bill ran counter to the intentions and provisions of the
Data Protection Act 1998, in particular by devaluing the
principal of informed consent.
It said the bill “severely curtailed” the independence of the
Information Commissioner, and doubted whether it would pass under
Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998.
The BCS said that as it stood, the bill had “the potential to
heighten the distrust citizens have of government and central
initiatives, and thereby set back the efforts of government and its
agencies to provide faster, more cost-effective public services
using IT.
“The bill could have disastrous consequences in the hands of a
less benevolent government,” it said.
The BCS has published its
full position on its
website.