Internet: Surveillance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to prevent the (a) collection and (b) sharing of personal data by tracking pixels when using (i) police, (ii) council and (iii) other public websites for reporting (A) crimes and (B) abuses.
Answered by Chris Bryant
The use of online tracking technologies—such as tracking pixels—are regulated by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), which require user consent unless certain limited exemptions apply. Where these technologies collect personal data, the UK's data protection laws also apply. Under the UK GDPR’s lawfulness principle, organisations must ensure that any processing is not only compliant with data protection rules but also lawful more broadly. For public sector organisations such as the police and local authorities this includes acting lawfully under the Human Rights Act 1998.
The Data (Use & Access) Act 2025 modernises PECR so that the Information Commissioner has the tools he needs to enforce the legislation effectively.
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