What is the Data Protection Bill, what has Tom Watson proposed and how would it affect press freedom?
A proposed amendment to the Data Protection Bill could be an assault on the freedom of the press if brought into law - here's what you need to know
A CONTROVERSIAL amendment to the Data Protection Bill could have a detrimental effect on the British free press if passed.
Here's the lowdown on what you need to know about the proposal by Labour deputy leader Tom Watson and how it could affect the British news media.
What is the Data Protection Bill?
The is largely concerned with new rules to give individuals more control over their data.
The Bill legislates for how an individual's personal information and data is used and stored by third parties, including large corporations, who could incur heavy fines if they do not safeguard sensitive data.
However, a proposed amendment by deputy Labour leader Tom Watson has come under fire by news organisations as it threatens the freedom of the British press.
What has Tom Watson proposed?
Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson and other members of the Labour party have proposed an amendment similar to Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act to the Data Protection Bill in relation to data protection against publishers.
This proposal, titled “Publishers of news-related material: damages and costs” would require publishers who are not signed up to State-backed press regulator Impress to pay all the claimants’ costs of legal action brought against them, regardless of whether they win or lose.
Impress is funded by Tom Watson's benefactor Max Mosley.
A second proposed amendment to the Data Protection Bill by former Labour leader Ed Milliband titled “Data protection breaches by national news publishers” requires the establishment of a public inquiry into data breaches by national newspapers - similar to the Leveson Inquiry 2.
Last year the government pledged to drop Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act and halted the Leveson Inquiry 2.
A government consultation in 2017 asked the public whether Section 40 should be implemented and Leveson 2 should commence - out of 174,730 responses, 79 per cent said No to Section 40 and 66 per cent said No to Leveson 2.
What was the result of the Parliament vote on Leveson Two?
The proposal from Tom Watson for Leveson Two was defeated by nine votes in a House of Commons' vote on May 09.
Labour lost the vote after the DUP decided to side with the Tories but Tom Watson said imposing sweeping curbs on the media is "unfinished business".
Former party leader Ed Miliband said: "Very disappointed for the victims of phone-hacking and press abuse that we did not win the vote for Leveson 2.
"The battle goes on to keep our promise to them to get the truth they deserve and protection for victims in the future."
It appears the left-wing party are still plotting to push through their controversial plans by teaming up with unelected peers to try and force a second vote.
If successful in winning Lords to their cause the law would re-enter the Commons for another vote and Labour think they can win enough MPs to their side to get it through.
How would this affect the freedom of the press?
Several British newspapers have heavily criticised the proposal as it would allow anyone wanting to prevent exposure in the press that is within the public interest to threaten legal action to silence journalists and publishers.
The Sun says: "The amendment by Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson to the Data Protection Bill is a jaw-droppingly blatant and probably illegal attempt to shut down newspapers he dislikes.
"Investigative journalism would be axed overnight as too risky. Hundreds of papers could be bankrupted and thousands of journalists dumped on the dole.
"The winners would be crooked politicians, tycoons and celebrities — placed in effect beyond scrutiny — and the Labour Party, having silenced its critics.
"Our free Press is not perfect, nor can it be... But Britain is better for its newspapers, and these toxic plans will damage our country immensely."
The Independent : "A free press is fundamental to democracy. Investigative and campaigning journalists have exposed scandals that have helped save lives... Without an environment in which such journalists are encouraged to report – without the fear that they might face costly court cases even for reporting stories that are true – who will hold the corrupt to account?"
The called Watson's proposed amendment a "chilling threat" to the free press, while the proposed changes "would further erode press freedom", adding the bill "should not be used as a vehicle for imposing an unfair and partial system on publishers."
The Mirror editors will "not be able to risk running stories exposing corruption or wrongdoing if they know it will result in expensive legal action."
On May 9, Culture Secretary Matt Hancock said Labour's assault on press freedom would make it impossible to expose scandals like the Rotherham sexual abuse case.
He said the chilling proposed amendments proposed would have a “catastrophic” impact on local papers.
And he said it would mean publications would risk having to pay costs to complainants even if a story about them was deemed accurate and in the public interest.
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