An inquiry into public opinion suggests that fear and
confusion could push sensitive personal data out of the
country
LONDON and ZURICH, Oct. 9,
2019 /PRNewswire/ -- If the United
Kingdom exits the European Union on October 31st, 2019 without a deal, there should
be clear guidelines as to how personal data will be managed and
protected. But in reality, there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding
the rules that will govern sensitive personal information. This is
evidenced by a recent study conducted by the cloud security firm,
Artmotion.
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According to the findings, as much as 61% of British respondents
didn't know what laws would apply to their personal data after
Brexit. Another 62% weren't aware of how their data would be
protected after the UK left the EU.
Who is currently regulating British customer data?
The data generated in the UK is currently governed by the EU's
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). But what happens after
October 31st?
Number 10 Downing Street did set out some guidance on data
governance last year, but it was withdrawn on March 1st, 2019 (further adding to the
uncertainty surrounding the issue).
Who will regulate British customer data after Brexit?
The UK government has always maintained that following Brexit,
GDPR will be absorbed into British law. But there's still no
indication about when that will happen.
Artmotion's founder and CEO, Mateo
Meier, said "the British government needs to do more to
address these issues. There is a lot of confusion and fear
surrounding the impact of Brexit on cloud data."
There's also cause for concern as a French data protection
regulator recently announced that in the event of a no-deal Brexit
and the absence of an adequacy decision, the UK would be treated
like any other country that is outside the EU.
It's also highly likely that other EU country regulators will
adopt this approach, and this could have some ramifications for
British companies.
What's the potential impact of a no-deal Brexit on British
data?
To alleviate fear and appease their customers, for example,
retailers could migrate customer data to mainland Europe.
This scenario is highly likely as 53% of respondents preferred
neutral and politically stable countries like Switzerland to host their data. Switzerland was followed by Iceland and Norway as suitable destinations to store
sensitive personal information.
According to Meier, "While the British government was busy
engaging in political debates, Switzerland focused on stability and
innovation. This has paid off as we're now seeing an increasing
demand for cloud services hosted in Switzerland."
It's important to address this issue, as 80% of the respondents
were unsure if Brexit would have a positive or negative impact on
cloud providers. Only 4.8% of respondents believed that Brexit
would have a positive impact on cloud providers.
It can also have a far-reaching effect on British businesses, as
only 12% of US customers would choose a UK-based cloud services
provider after Brexit. For example, British brands with a global
audience might be forced to move their data and operations out of
the country to accommodate the demands of their customers.
Even though a hard Brexit is just weeks away, no one really
knows for sure what will happen after the UK leaves the EU. So even
if the government fails to act, British organizations must explore
the complexities surrounding data protection now to avoid potential
compliance violations and loss of revenue.
About Artmotion
Artmotion.eu is a cloud provider using various encryption
methods to enhance data privacy.
Gabriela Mathiassen -
g.mathiassen@artmotion.ch +41434434567
Related Files
Brexit Research - effect on UK Cloud Market.pdf
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