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U.K. Government Test-and-Trace Program Illegal under GDPR
The U.K. Government's test-and-trace program is illegal under GDPR
Credit: Computing (U.K.)
The Department of Health has admitted that England's test-and-trace programme has been operating in contravention of privacy legislation for months, resulting in a threat of legal action from campaigners.
The DoH has said that the government launched the test-and-trace programme - which aims to trace people who may have been exposed to members of the public infected with COVID-19 - without carrying out a data protection impact assessment (DPIA). The Open Rights Group (ORG) says that this means the initiative has been unlawful since it was launched in late May.
The government says there is no evidence of data being used unlawfully. Speaking on BCC Breakfast, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said, "In no way has [there] been a breach of any of the data that has been stored."
He continued, "I think your viewers will understand that if we are to defeat this virus, we do need to have a test and trace system and we had to get that up and running at incredible speed.... Are you really advocating that we get rid of a test and trace system? I don't think you are."
From Computing (U.K.)
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