A CROSS-party group of MPs has condemned the Government for refusing to spell out the privacy risks in the proposed UK-Japan trade agreement.
In a letter to International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, campaigners highlighted the deal’s implications for privacy and the future of data protection standards for data transfers, but the Government has so far not given a detailed explanation.
According to the Open Rights Group, who organised the letter, this has highlighted the weakness of Parliament to scrutinise and challenge trade agreements under current legislation.
Its executive director, Jim Killock, said: “Our Parliament is sovereign and critical issues such as UK citizens’ right to privacy and control over personal data must not become a bargaining chip in trade negotiations."
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SNP MP Deidre Brock told The National: “The SNP will never support a deal which lowers the data protection rights and standards of the Scottish people. We want to see a commitment to robust data privacy protections in order to discourage asymmetric disadvantages and benefits from data flow.
“My SNP colleagues and I remain committed to progress that doesn’t come at the expense of data-protection regulations, which is more important than it ever has been.”
Her colleague Marty Day added: “It is my understanding that Parliament must assent to the agreement by December 6 and failure to do so would cause severe problems for the continuity of a variety of trade arrangements.
“It is wholly unacceptable that these clauses are being pushed forward without being given the time, information and analysis necessary for proper Parliamentary scrutiny.”
The Department of International Trade said the claims were "simply inaccurate".
A spokesperson said: “Nothing in the Japan CEPA undermines the powerful legal protections for personal data under UK law - in fact, it is designed to ensure they can continue. The deal means data can flow between countries for business purposes in accordance with the strong data protection legislation that both Japan and the UK have in place.
"UK users have exactly the same legal protections for their personal data as they did before the deal. Nothing in it compromises that."
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