London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Data protection 'shake-up' takes aim at cookie pop-ups

Data protection 'shake-up' takes aim at cookie pop-ups

The UK's new Information Commissioner will be charged with a post-Brexit "shake up" of data rules, including getting rid of cookie pop-ups.

John Edwards has been named the next head of data regulator the ICO.

The government said Mr Edwards, currently the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner, would "go beyond the regulator's traditional role".

The job would now be "balanced" between protecting rights and promoting "innovation and economic growth".

Mr Edwards has been named as the government's preferred candidate, and said it is a "great honour".

"I look forward to the challenge of steering the organisation and the British economy into a position of international leadership in the safe and trusted use of data for the benefit of all," he said.

His predecessor, current Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, said Mr Edwards "will take on a role that has never been more important or more relevant to people's lives."

The government's shake-up of the Information Commissioner's Office was announced alongside planned changes to data protection post-Brexit.

"Light touch"


In an interview with The Telegraph newspaper, Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said the plans include getting rid of "endless" cookie pop-ups which are common on most large sites, asking for permission to store a user's personal information.

This is widely marketed as a tool for compliance with EU data law the GDPR, although the practice pre-dates it.

He told the newspaper that "high risk" sites would still need similar notices, but that many of them are "pointless".

And he said reform of data protection rules is "one of the big prizes of leaving" the EU.

"There's an awful lot of needless bureaucracy and box ticking and actually we should be looking at how we can focus on protecting people's privacy but in as light a touch way as possible," he said.

The proposed reforms extend to all sorts of data.

In the official announcement, the government said it will prioritise making new "data adequacy" partnerships that will allow it to send people's personal data internationally, to places such as the United States, Korea, Singapore, Dubai and Colombia, among others.

Data adequacy in this sense means an agreement that the protections in place are similar in two countries, with the idea of ensuring that personal information remains safe. It is a key part of EU regulations and was a minor sticking point in the Brexit negotiations.

The UK currently has a data adequacy agreement with the EU, though it needs to be renewed in future and could change if the law in the UK diverges too far from EU rules.

Other details remain light, with the government promising to launch a consultation on what future data laws will look like.

The government said that as much as £11bn of trade "goes unrealised around the world due to barriers associated with data transfers".

"Now that we have left the EU I'm determined to seize the opportunity by developing a world-leading data policy that will deliver a Brexit dividend for individuals and businesses across the UK," Mr Dowden said.

"It means reforming our own data laws so that they're based on common sense, not box-ticking."

Andrew Dyson, a data protection expert at law firm DLA Piper, said these announcements amounted to the "first evidence" of "a bold new regulatory landscape for digital Britain post-Brexit".

"It will be interesting to see the further announcements that are sure to follow on reforms to the wider policy landscape that are just hinted at here," he said.


This is a big moment in the evolution of the UK's data protection policies.

As New Zealand's Privacy Commissioner, John Edwards showed he was anything but timid in taking on the tech giants. After the Christchurch massacre, he described Facebook "as morally bankrupt pathological liars who enable genocide (Myanmar), [and] facilitate foreign undermining of democratic institutions" - in a tweet he later deleted.

The current commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, has been criticised by some privacy campaigners for not being robust enough in protecting data rights. But it looks as though the government wants her replacement to be even more cautious.

Mr Edwards "will be empowered to go beyond the regulator's traditional role of focusing only on protecting data rights, with a clear mandate to take a balanced approach that promotes further innovation and economic growth."

That looks like a clear signal that the interests of those businesses complaining about the burden of what they regard as excessive data regulations will be given a hearing.

Oliver Dowden's told the Daily Telegraph that EU rules on cookies - which, by the way, predate the GDPR data laws - could be the first target of the new slimmed down approach to regulation. With many web users frustrated by the constant need to click "accept" on cookie banners every time they visit a new site, this could prove a popular move.

But data protection specialists warn that it's easy to generate headlines about a bonfire of regulations, much harder to frame new laws diverging from what applies across the English Channel.

And the tech companies themselves may complain about EU data laws - but may see this as just adding another layer of complexity to their global policies, rather than a big opportunity.


WATCH: What is GDPR?


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
×