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Speaking from Davos, where he has been reaffirming the UK’s commitment to AI, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Matt Hancock said the government was strengthening the UK’s data protection laws to give people more control over their own data.
Matt Hancock
However, fewer than half of all businesses and charities are aware of new data protection laws four months before they come into force, according to new research.
“And as these figures show many organisations still need to act to make sure the personal data they hold is secure and they are prepared for our Data Protection Bill,” said Hancock.
Businesses in the finance and insurance sectors have the highest awareness of the changes to be brought in through the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is to be implemented in UK law via the Data Protection Bill in May 2018, as part of plans to help the UK prepare for a successful Brexit.
Businesses in the construction industry have the lowest awareness, with only one in four aware of the incoming regulation.
While in Davos, Hancock will also promote the UK’s digital strengths in speeches covering policymaking for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Generation AI.
The UK tops the list in Europe for global tech investors, with its tech firms attracting more venture capital funding than any other European country in 2017.
In December it was named by Oxford Insights as the best prepared country in the world for artificial intelligence (AI) implementation.
