Section 32 DPA Amendment
Leveson Inquiry · An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press · Issued 29 November 2012 · Addressed to: UK Government
Government responsePrime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street: Noted (Nov 2012)
DeliveryUK Government says not accepted (Dec 2017)
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The exemption in section 32 of the Data Protection Act 1998 should be amended so as to make it available only where: (a) the processing of data is necessary for publication, rather than simply being in fact undertaken with a view to publication; (b) the data controller reasonably believes that the relevant publication would be or is in the public interest, with no special weighting of the balance between the public interest in freedom of expression and in privacy; and (c) objectively, that the likely interference with privacy resulting from the processing of the data is outweighed by the public interest in publication.
Leveson Inquiry, An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press · 29 Nov 2012 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
The Inquiry recommended amending the Data Protection Act exemption for journalism. In December 2017, Lord Keen of Elie, Advocate-General for Scotland, responding for the UK Government, addressed the recommendation regarding special weighting, stating that weighting for freedom of expression and information was "an essential way of ensuring that information that is in the public interest is not buried" (Lord Keen of Elie, Dec 2017). In November 2012, Prime Minister David Cameron stated that proposals reducing the special treatment afforded to journalists under data protection legislation required careful consideration (David Cameron response, Nov 2012; David Cameron, Nov 2012).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 1 Oct 2026.
Report-level response context
Government response
●Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street · Noted · 29 Nov 2012
In support of this, Lord Justice Leveson makes some important proposals. First, he proposes some changes to the Data Protection Act that would reduce the special treatment that journalists are afforded when dealing with personal data. We must consider this very carefully, particularly the impact that it could have on investigative journalism. Although I have been able to make only preliminary investigations about that proposal since reading the report, I am instinctively concerned about it.
Response document: Leveson Inquiry (House of Commons statement)
Delivery
●UK Government says not accepted · 13 Dec 2017
Amendment 53 would remove the requirement to give special weighting to the public interest in freedom of expression and information. This is something that we consider an essential way of ensuring that information that is in the public interest is not buried due to the data protection regime that is put in place.
From: Data Protection Bill [HL], Report (2nd Day) (Continued), Lords Chamber, Lord Keen of Elie, Advocate-General for Scotland, responding for the Government
How this page is built
The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.