UK Bill of Rights consultation to look at privacy protection

UK— The government has launched a consultation to ask the public whether the UK needs a bill of rights, which could include new rights of privacy.

Sir Leigh Kewis is chairing the commission that has been set up to look at the question, and a discussion paper has been published looking at whether the UK needs a bill of rights, and what it should contain.

A bill of rights could mean much more robust protection for privacy in the UK, which could affect how researchers recruit respondents and gather data – particularly online. But it could also strengthen other rights, such as freedom of expression, that might stand in the way of attempts to ensure privacy.

Because the UK has no written constitution, there are no ‘fundamental’ rights that enjoy special protection, although the country is a signatory to international laws including the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Human Rights Act, through which the European Convention was brought into effect in the UK, introduced the right to have one’s privacy respected, which has influenced court rulings in areas such as media intrusion on celebrities’ lives.

But the use of social media monitoring and online behavioural tracking has raised new concerns about privacy in recent years. MPs from all three main parties have recently put their names to a call for an ‘internet bill of rights’, in response to fears about companies that track online behaviour for advertising purposes.

The commission says it is looking into creating a bill of rights “that incorporates and builds on all our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, ensures that these rights continue to be enshrined in UK law, and protects and extends our liberties”.

The Market Research Society (MRS) says it will be responding to the consultation.

We hope you enjoyed this article.
Research Live is published by MRS.

The Market Research Society (MRS) exists to promote and protect the research sector, showcasing how research delivers impact for businesses and government.

Members of MRS enjoy many benefits including tailoured policy guidance, discounts on training and conferences, and access to member-only content.

For example, there's an archive of winning case studies from over a decade of MRS Awards.

Find out more about the benefits of joining MRS here.

0 Comments


Display name

Email

Join the discussion

Newsletter
Stay connected with the latest insights and trends...
Sign Up
Latest From MRS

Our latest training courses

Our new 2025 training programme is now launched as part of the development offered within the MRS Global Insight Academy

See all training

Specialist conferences

Our one-day conferences cover topics including CX and UX, Semiotics, B2B, Finance, AI and Leaders' Forums.

See all conferences

MRS reports on AI

MRS has published a three-part series on how generative AI is impacting the research sector, including synthetic respondents and challenges to adoption.

See the reports

Progress faster...
with MRS 
membership

Mentoring

CPD/recognition

Webinars

Codeline

Discounts