Select committee: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 4
Tenth Report - Connected tech: smart or sinister?
Published 7 Aug 2023
Paragraph 51
Addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Connected tech: smart or sinister? All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The use of connected tech in schools and by children in homes raises concerns, including the harvesting and third-party use of children’s data and their lack of control over what technology is used and when. The Government and ICO were quick to dismiss our concerns about this issue. We urge the ICO to take a more proactive approach in engaging with manufacturers of connected toys and education technology. It should ensure that all products include: terms and conditions that are age-appropriate; privacy settings that are intuitive for children and help them exercise data rights; and fully explain the benefits and risks of data processing. Industry should be supported in this through comprehensive guidance, independent research and user- testing.
From: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Tenth Report - Connected tech: smart or sinister? (HC 157), paragraph 51, 7 August 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 24 November 2023.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government states that it "partially accept[s] the majority" of the Committee's conclusions and recommendations, and where it has not accepted them it points to existing or planned actions.
- On the Age-Appropriate Design Code, it agrees, stating it "will ensure" forthcoming data protection reforms "do not undermine any aspect" of the code, with the ICO to update guidance once the Bill receives Royal Assent.
- On data protection reform and ICO governance, it does not agree, saying reforms are "compatible with maintaining free flow of personal data from Europe" and that the Statement of Strategic Priorities will be subject to parliamentary oversight.
- On privacy interfaces, it partially accepts, does not agree with being "overly prescriptive", and will engage interest groups "in the months ahead" on simpler and more granular cookie choices.
- On product security, it partially accepts, saying there is no current evidence it would be proportionate to mandate requirements beyond the initial three, but it "will not hesitate" to mandate more "if necessary".