On 19 November 2021, TIGA, the trade association representing the video games industry, responded to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Consultation on Data: a new direction.
The Government’s consultation is seeking views on reforms of the data protection regime. Unlocking the power of data was set out as one of the Government’s 10 Tech Priorities. The consultation seeks to build on key elements of the UK General Protection Regulation UK GDPR, such as data processing principles, data rights for citizens and mechanisms for supervision.
In its response, TIGA stated that the UK Government should only pursue regulatory data reforms that are compatible with the maintenance of the EU-UK data adequacy agreement, to avoid damaging businesses that rely on trade with the EU, such as the UK’s thriving video games sector and to avoid the need for businesses to meet divergent compliance regimes in both the UK and the EU.
Games development can involve the use of a large amount of personal and non-personal data. The free flow of data between the UK and EU is important to many games businesses.