Hands Off Our Data

Your data can get used against you and attacks on your rights mean you’ll have less ability to do anything about it.

Why data protection matters

Data protection rights protect people across all aspects of life – at work, using NHS services, applying for jobs or renting a flat. As the use of flawed and biased decision-making algorithms increases across every sector, data protection is particularly important for protecting the rights of marginalised groups, including migrants, LGBTQ people and people from racialised backgrounds. The UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been used to challenge unfair dismissals in the workplace, private companies’ use of public health data, and illegal profiling by advertising companies.

Challenging Data Harvesting

ORG has taken action to stop government bodies and the private sector from using the personal data of millions of people. We seek to enforce legal protections and safeguards in UK GDPR to prevent the harms that can result from data misuse.

ORG complaint about meta privacy policy

Meta’s plans to take users’ information to “develop and improve AI”

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ORG’s challenge over smart meter data

The government is attempting to collect energy consumption data

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The problem with the Data Watchdog

Data rights are only as good as their effective enforcement. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has a poor track record of issuing weak reprimands instead of fines and acting as a critical friend to government. We need to reform and strengthen the regulator.

AI enforcement gap in the UK

The ICO is leaving the one-sided commercial exploitation of our data to train AI unchecked and unchallenged

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Report: Lessons from the pandemic

ORG’s report exposes failures by the ICO in protecting privacy and data rights

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The watchdog Must Toughen Up

The need for a strong and independent data protection authority

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International Data Transfers

International agreements allow for data transfers to countries with insufficient data protection standards, enforceable rights or effective remedies.

UK Data bridge

The UK extension to the EU–US Transatlantic Data Privacy Framework (DPF)

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The CPTPP

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

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Data Protection and Digital Information Bill

ORG campaigned against the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill that was binned when the General Election 2024 was called. It sought to weaken data protection in the UK, eroding data subject’s rights and corporate accountability mechanisms, as well as expanding the Secretary of State’s powers in numerous ways. We’ll fight any attempt to bring the Bill back.

Briefing on the DPDI BILL

Our analysis on how the Bill worsens power imbalances between us, the State and corporations

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demise of the DPDi Bill

ORG welcomes that the DPDI Bill failed to complete it passage through the UK Parliament

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The Story So Far

The ICO is leaving an AI enforcement gap in the UK

In response to our formal complaint to the ICO against Meta’s use of personal data to train Artificial Intelligence models without consent, the ICO has invited Open Rights Group (ORG) to a meeting to discuss our concerns.
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Light and Shadow of the Digital Information and Smart Data Bill

In what could be a new, welcomed development, Labour appear to have decided to narrow the scope of the data protection reform by … taking away the data protection parts.
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Meta Wants to Make Us its AI Guinea Pigs

Meta, the company that runs Facebook and Instagram, has announced plans to repurpose most of the personal data that they ever collected about you, to train their “artificial intelligence (AI) technologies” — without, of course, asking your permission to do so.
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Smart meter data: the Government’s at it again

Back in October 2022, ORG exposed Government plans to snoop on UK residents’ smart meters and energy consumption data.
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The DPDI Bill Threatens the Integrity of the UK General Election

In our latest briefing, Open Rights Group raises the alarm over changes in the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (DPDI Bill) that could open the floodgate for the abuse of data analytics and new technologies for electoral manipulation.
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The ICO Must Toughen Up

As the House of Lords finally begins scrutiny of the UK data protection reform, Open Rights Group urges peers to support amendments that would strengthen the independence and effectiveness of the UK data protection authority, and bolster the public’s right of seeking a remedy against an infringement of their rights.
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The Post Office Scandal and Data Protection

The Post Office scandal, which saw hundreds of subpostmasters wrongly convicted of fraud, is one of the UK’s biggest miscarriages of justice.
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Government powers overdrawn

Whether you are a pensioner or a parent, unemployed or living with a disability, you may be one of the millions of people who receive benefits from the State.
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UK DATA BRIDGE: A GLOBAL PRIVACY RACE TO THE BOTTOM

On October 12, the UK extension (Data Bridge) to the EU–US Transatlantic Data Privacy Framework (DPF) will come into force.
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The CPTPP: trading away your privacy rights

The Government have recently announced the UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
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The Data Grab Bill attacks our data rights

ORG sent an urgent open letter to Michelle Donelan MP, the Secretary of State for the new Department of Science, Innovation and Technology.
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Data Grab Bill from an EU perspective

A delegation from the European Parliament visited London and left with some rather scathing opinions about the UK data protection reform, but UK Ministers have been denying that there is any issue with their proposals.
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UK Government failing on AI regulation

The UK Government have published their vision for “Establishing a pro-innovation approach to regulating AI”.
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