The UK Information Commissioners Office (the ICO) has released an International Strategy (the Strategy) in which it outlines its plans for 2017 – 2021 to deal with the data protection challenges presented by globalism, the GDPR and Brexit. The Strategy which can be read in full here is the first with an international emphasis released by the ICO. It is described by the UK Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, in a statement on 4 July, as a “blueprint” for how the ICO will deliver its international objectives.
The Strategy reiterates the ICO’s commitment to assisting with the implementation of the GDPR into UK law. Operating on the assumption that the UK will implement the provisions of the GDPR prior to leaving the EU, the ICO expresses an intention to strongly engage with the Article 29 Working Party and the European Data Protection Board up until the UK’s exit from the EU. Furthermore, it notes that it will seek to maintain working relationships with these groups post-Brexit. The ICO qualifies this by stating this will be dependent on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations.
While the Strategy encompasses a 5 year time period, the ICO envisages that it will be subject to regular review and updated to reflect any new challenges that may arise in the protection of personal data.