Edwards was clear that while the ICO shares the government’s interest in economic growth, it does not take direction from ministers on how to balance growth against data protection.
He said, “[the ICO] have a statutory obligation to act independently… there’s a limit in the granularity that government can deliver in terms of directing an independent office such as ours”.
Edwards noted that he does not feel pressure from the government to change the ICO’s approach to risk or enforcement, affirming that the ICO is “trusted to make those decisions.”
The ICO is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology. You can find more about their work, here.
The ICO is reviewing evidence from stakeholders on ad tech regulation and consent requirements, including from the PPA. They are expected to publish a response in due course.
The PPA is also coordinating with the ICO to arrange a meeting later this year to discuss publishers’ views on their work. If you wish to discuss these issues further, please contact eilidh.wilson@ppa.co.uk