Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

'Reckless': Privacy rights group lashes out at UK govt after it admits Covid-19 Test and Trace program didn't follow legal rules

'Reckless': Privacy rights group lashes out at UK govt after it admits Covid-19 Test and Trace program didn't follow legal rules

The UK government – facing a threat of court action – has conceded that its self-described "world beating" Covid-19 Test and Trace program has not been abiding by a crucial data protection legal requirement.

Following a legal challenge brought by Open Rights Group (ORG), the UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has admitted that it has been running the Test and Trace program without a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA). This is a requirement under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for projects that handle personal data.

Without such a legal safeguard, there is a risk of personal data protection breaches.

Ravi Naik, legal director of the new data rights agency AWO, who was instructed to act on behalf of ORG, said that the UK government has now "admitted Test and Trace was deployed unlawfully."

According to him, the initiative has been illegal ever since its launch on May 28."This is significant. It is a legal requirement to conduct an impact assessment before data processing takes place," he explained.

The UK government has not explicitly conceded that it has broken any privacy laws, but it has admitted operating without a DPIA. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care claimed the NHS program was committed to the "highest ethical and data governance standards."

They added that it was important to draw a distinction between the initiative itself being unlawful and the way it was processing NHS patients' data, which they say has been handled lawfully.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's administration insisted that there was "no evidence of data being used unlawfully." The DHSC made its admission after ORG threatened to take the government to court unless it agreed to carry out a DPIA immediately.

Jim Killock, ORG's executive director, hit out at the government, branding its behavior "reckless" in ignoring the legally-required safety step, and thereby had "endangered public health."

Killock suggested that mutual trust between the government and the public – a critical element in any successful fight against the deadly disease – had been undermined by operating a program without basic privacy safeguards.

The DHSC spokesperson would not confirm whether a report in the Sunday Times – which found Test and Trace staff were sharing patients' confidential data on various social media platforms – was evidence of data being used unlawfully.

The NHS Test and Trace system requires people who have tested positive for coronavirus to self-isolate and share personal details – such as home addresses and phone numbers – of those with whom they have come into close contact. Contact must have taken place within a nine-day timeframe, starting 48 hours before symptoms first appeared.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
China Presses Netherlands to “properly” Resolve the Nexperia Seizure as Supply Chain Risks Grow
Merz Attacks Migrants, Sparks Uproar, and Refuses to Apologize: “Ask Your Daughters”
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
×