November 25, 2019

The ICO says that, increasingly, we are seeing broad ethical questions being raised around how data is being used and there is debate around when data protection and data ethics overlap, where they are separate, and where they may even conflict.

The ICO has appointed its first data ethics adviser, Ellis Parry, to consider the challenges over the next year.

The ICO says that engaging in data ethics is “an innovative step”, but not one that will prove unique. The European Data Protection Supervisor’s 2018 public consultation found that more than four in five people believe authorities should play a role in this area.

The ICO says that the new data ethics adviser’s role is not to establish a large data ethics function at the ICO, as this is a vibrant area for debate and exploration. Instead, he will help ensure that the ICO contributes to data ethics discussions in a way that meets the aims of its Information Rights Strategic Plan, and in doing so helps to uphold information rights in the UK. To read the ICO’s blog post in full, click here.