The UK Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (the Bill) received its second reading in the House of Lords on 19 December 2023. Although the Bill cleared that crucial milestone, the debate focused on the government’s last-minute introduction of sweeping powers enabling the Secretary of State to require banks and other financial service providers to monitor and to provide information from accounts into which benefits are paid. Although ostensibly intended to identify fraud, the Lords echoed the view expressed by campaigning group, Big Brother Watch, that it would be:

“wholly inappropriate for the UK Government to order private banks, building societies and other financial services to conduct mass, algorithmic, suspicionless surveillance and reporting of their account holders on behalf of the state”.