What do the government’s data reform plans mean for charities?

Following its Autumn consultation, the government’s plans for reforming data protection legislation in the UK have now been announced. Among them are a number of key changes for charities to be aware of.  

First and foremost, the government is planning changes to PECR on how cookies are used, which would see soft opt-in extended to charities. Elsewhere, it seeks to change the requirements to undertake data impact risk assessments, and to have a data protection officer in place.   

For a useful summary of how these proposed changes – particularly soft opt-in – will impact fundraisers, check out Dan Fluskey’s recent blog on the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s site.  

The government’s own announcement can be found here.