The DMA has welcomed the promotion of industry ally Ed Vaizey to Secretary of State for the digital industries, and urged him to step up the fight against the EU reforms.
Tory MP Vaizey, who was previously Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, has been given a wider remit and will fall across both the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Despite the fact that his role has yet to be determined, DMA executive director Chris Combemale backed the move.
He said: “Mr Vaizey’s promotion is great news for the UK’s burgeoning data-driven economy. During his time at DCMS, he proved to be a champion of the one-to-one marketing industry and digital innovation.
“The digital industries are built on data, so the EU’s proposed Data Protection Regulation could cost the UK’s economy billions if passed into law in its current form.
“We urge that Mr Vaizey works closely with Simon Hughes, his counterpart in the Ministry of Justice, to ensure that the interests of UK businesses that depend on data for one-to-one marketing to drive sales are well represented at a European level.”
Just last week, Hughes pledged to carry on the fight against the worst excesses of the proposed legislation – currently stuttering through the Brussels machine – and in particular the “right to forgotten” law, which he claimed was unenforceable. Vaizey first attacked the plans back in 2011.
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Industry ally Ed Vaizey urged to step up fight over EU laws by @DMA_UK http://t.co/dbTOQdSH7i #dataprivacy #dataprotection #directmarketing
DMA urges Ed Vaizey to fight Draconian EU Data Privacy laws http://t.co/ysK8SDjQqX
DMA urges Vaizey to fight EU laws http://t.co/Ub4ARGjJuc reports @DM_editor