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   Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:10 JST Mariano delli Santi

   So we're back with a live commenting of the Data Use and Access Bill, aka the infamous UK data protection reform, live on parliament tv now! https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/30309471-1205-4bcd-a3b7-99fb9bf01b50

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:02 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     On top of that, the Bill comes with loads of Henry VIII powers—a mechanism that allows government to bypass Parliament when changing legislation. The risk of these powers being weaponised for political purposes couldn't be more clear today, as the DUA Bill has already become the unlikely battleground to restrict trasgender people's right to self-determination https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/05/why-you-should-be-worried-about-the-uk-data-bill-amendment/

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:04 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     Change is, however, a much needed feature in UK digital policies. The Labour government intransigent and dogmatic support for big tech companies policy positions has already costed them access to immigration data from the Schengen Information System, and dealt a major blow in their attempt to further cooperation with the EU in the area of migration https://www.thenational.scot/news/25138414.labours-eu-reset-plans-dealt-major-blow-brussels/

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:05 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     Fast foward to 2025 and the Labour government, after running under the banner of “CHANGE” in big capital letters on their election manifesto, resurrected the conservative government proposals', with a few caveats that we explain here https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/light-and-shadow-of-the-digital-information-and-smart-data-bill/

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:06 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     It was the far 2021 when the Conservative government came forward with a set of proposals to deregulate data protection in the UK and shield data-intensive industries and organisations from liability for the harms they create

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:07 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     I'm sure the copyright industry will do a better job than I do at explaining why these are rather empty arguments. I'll take this time to put forward a few reminders of what is going on today

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:08 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     Chris Bryant MP (LAB) goes on by listing the usual insipid list of adjectives to argue that opposition's amendments (regarding copyrights) shouldn't be accepted: this is unworkable, this pre-empt the result of govt consultation, this would result in piecemeal legisilation etc

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:09 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     Just because this is a data protection reform, the debate begins with Chris Bryant MP (LAB) talking about government amendments regarding AI and copyright, deepfakes and the national underground asset register...

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:40 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     Ok now one of the MPs is talking about the importance of recording sex at birth because “men can drink beer and feel fine while women get drunk very easily”. I will just point out that a quick trip to central London on a Saturday night may undermine this lady's ironclad assumptions...

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:41 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     Finally, after long and convoluted interventions regarding AI, copyright, personality rights etc, we finally come back to data protection, again with criticism from MPs around the research exemption and the potential for private companies to abuse such a broad definition

     Steve's Place repeated this.
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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:42 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     He also mentions the issues related to Palantir: how on hearth is it possible that a military company in the US which stands completely opposite to the values and ethics of the NHS be allowed to have such a central role in managing the health data of UK residents?

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:43 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     This MP continues by warning about health insurers: what of they could have access to your data and use this to rip you off by increasing their insurance premium?

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:44 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     Another MP takes the floor to remind the government that the issue with use of data for research is that private corporations can abuse this power for reasons that do not align with research or the public good

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:45 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     Ian Duncan Smith MP (CON) coming out swinging against allowing personal data transfers to China. Which is interesting, given his support for the DUA Bill that liberalises personal data transfers to unsafe jurisdictions but hey, we'll take this

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:46 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     I'll have to, once again, tap the “innocent questions” sign. This is a statue outside of the Oslo holocaust memorial that reminds how census data, and in particular the field religion, enabled nazi Germany to enter a country, feed census data to an IBM machine, and get a list of jews and their home addresses https://www.dreyblatt.net/innocent-questions-2006/

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:47 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     I didn't get her name or affiliation, but one MP is presenting an amendment to introduce a statutory duty to “record data about jews and sikhs”. Oh gosh, what could possibly happen if we start drawing list of jews, and doesn't this idea sound familiar?

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:48 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     Challenge to the govt by its own MP: if you cannot accept these amendments on copyright and AI, fix the issue of transparency at the Lords' stage

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:49 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     A Labour MP also takes the word to challenge the government position on AI and copyright. The arguments are pretty standard, but it definitely shows that the government is becoming more and more isolated in their policy positions, even within its own ranks

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:50 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     The LibDems also bring forward an amendment on automated decision-making that would, at least partially, roll back on government plans to strip individuals of their right not to be subject to automated decision-making

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:52 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     The LibDems also intervene with similar yet different talking points to the conservatives— i.e. raising the age of consent under data protection law, and copyright and AI.

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:53 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     Final shout out to Chi Onwura MP (Lab) points out that the problem with data. Nowadays, rests on data use being imposed on individuals and used to strip them of rights, personality, agency. We'll see how this translate in government policy

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:54 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     Quite a blow from Chi Onwura MP (LAB) to the Labour government: she mentions a letter from the Minister which defends the research exemption by stating that “we can trust large technology companies to use it responsibly”. (As always, I need to remind whoever is reading that this is not how you write legislation: legislation is meant to prevent abuse, not to wishfully think that everything will just work out fine)

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:55 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     Chi Onwura MP (LAB) also criticises provisions that would allow the use of data, without consent, for research purposes. She points out the provision is too broad and open to be abused for commercial purposes, ie to create ads or by Palantir to misuse NHS health data for what **they call** research purposes

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:56 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     Interestingly, Chin Onwura MP (LAB) takes the floor and criticises govt proposals around AI and copyrights. She says, they give all the power to large technology companies and don't introduce meaningful incentives for big tech companies to support the copyright industry

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:57 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     The conservatives now move to discuss amendments that would prevent children from accessing social media. Or not, as the conservatives are now denying that this is an amendment about this

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:08:58 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     It is rather astonishing the conservatives' take on the need to ensure “accurate data” for the purposes of enabling digital verification services. Accuracy should be ensured, in their view, by stripping you out of your right to self-determination, and leaving to someone else's the decision to determine your gender.

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:09:00 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     But here it comes, the conservative's MP talking about an amendment on “accuracy of sex data”. I.e, a provision that would force digital verification services to misgender trasgender people and only record their “sex at birth” rather than their, well, actual gender

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:09:01 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     The most interesting aspect of this debate is, however, how the conservatives and labour are flirting among each others at stating how good this legislation will be in enabling x, y, z—where these letters mean using your data against your consent or despite the detrimental impact this may have on you. One may wonder what kind of change did we vote for at last year's general elections?

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     Mariano delli Santi (marianods@mastodon.bida.im)'s status on Thursday, 08-May-2025 03:09:02 JST Mariano delli Santi

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     And Chris Bryant MP (LAB) is finally done talking about govt amendments. The opposition takes the floor and of course, let's talk again about copyright and AI...