Information Law and Policy in the General Election Manifestos

With the General Election fast-approaching, we have collected together a few blog posts from around the web that consider what the party manifestos say about information law and policy.

• The ICLR, General Election 2017: what the party manifestos say about law and justice

Paul Magrath, Head of Product Development and Online Content, discusses proposed changes to Media law as part of a more general review of law and justice policies. He identifies newspaper regulation as the big issue here: “Specifically,

1. Should the Leveson inquiry recommendations be enforced in full, including the costs provisions of section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013
2. Should the second part of the Leveson inquiry go ahead?”

• Amberhawk, Conservative manifesto hints at gradual ECHR withdrawal and the establishment of a national population register?  

Chris Pounder has picked out all the relevant sections in the manifestos which relate to data protection and human rights (Article 8 and 10) issues. He says:

“The main controversy relates to the Conservative manifesto which hints at leaving the ECHR after the next General Election in 2022 and raises the prospect of the establishment of a national population register.”

• Panopticon, Data Manifest(o)ations

Christopher Knight at 11KBW provides an entertaining look at the data protection elements of the manifestos (while also passing comment on the various aesthetic features). He considers the Lib Dems pledge to repeal or substantially re-write the Investigatory Powers Act 2016; Labour’s commitment to “strong data protection rules to protect personal privacy”; and the Conservatives’ “Digital Charter” as well as their proposals for the National Data Guardian for Health and Social Care, and a new “expert Data Use and Ethics Commission”.

• Rights Info, The Election and Human Rights

If you like election manifestos presented infographically, then Rights Info has jazzed up the relevant sections on human rights for you. You’ll find ‘Privacy and Free Speech’ at the bottom of the section for each of the parties.

• Cybersecurity, Find out at the Information Law and Policy Centre, 5 June

If you want to find out more about the approach taken to cybersecurity in the manifestos, please do come along to our free cybersecurity event this Monday where our expert panel will be looking at party policies and the fall out from the recent WannaCry attack. You can book online here.