# The new Data Protection and Digital Information Bill

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/03/15/the-new-data-protection-and-digital-information-bill/
- Published: 2023-03-15T12:49:00+00:00
- Author: John Green

**The new Data Protection and Digital Information Bill offers some good news for
supporter recruitment, email communications and website engagement. **

The government introduced to Parliament this month the new Data Protection and Digital
Information Bill (DPDI), [first announced in 2017](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/08/08/government-announces-data-protection-bill-bring-gdpr-uk-law/).
This bill aims to clarify some of the confusion that surrounded the introduction
of GDPR and make data handling for businesses and charities more straightforward.
The Bill doesn’t require charities to make any changes but does clear up certain
GDPR myths. 

Trustees and charity managers will be particularly interested in three key points

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 * **Legitimate interest**. A grey area under GDPR, the Bill will expand the scope
   of legitimate interest so that charities can use it as a lawful basis to recruit
   new supporters. Individuals still have the right to opt out, but charities can
   confidently approach new potential supporters on this basis. 

 * Charities will be able to contact existing supporters by email, using the so 
   called ‘**soft opt-in**’ previously only specified in PECR for commercial organisations.
   
 * Exemptions to have to ask for **consent for cookies** will help declutter charity
   websites and will remove unnecessary clicks for supporters, though for charity
   websites to be eligible they must not take advertising. 

Overall, for charities this is a good Bill that will enable them to approach relevant
potential supporters on a clear basis. It also brings email communication with supporters
in line with print communications and on the same basis as for-profit organisations.
It also takes a common-sense approach to cookie consent. 

You can read the Bill here [https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3430](https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3430)

 * **[Catholics in Fundraising marks 15 years](https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/06/14/catholics-in-fundraising-marks-15-years/)(
   14 June 2022)
 * **[Data protection for supporter stewardship – six steps to getting it right](https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/06/27/data-protection-for-supporter-stewardship-six-steps-to-getting-it-right/)(
   27 June 2019)
 * **[Data protection: complaining – it’s so yesterday!](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/03/10/data-protection-complaining-yesterday/)(
   10 March 2017)**