Data Science: Government Processes

Debate between Earl Howe and Lord Maxton

Tuesday 4th February 2020 Lords Chamber

[Earl Howe]

My Lords, public trust goes to the heart of the Government’s work on data science. People need to know that data is being used wholly ethically by government. They can be reassured on that score by the data ethics framework, which the public sector has to abide by, by the work of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, which advises government on how innovation in AI and data science can be deployed safely and ethically and, of course, by legislation, which protects personal data and people’s privacy.

[Lord Maxton (Lab)]

My Lords, is not the answer—to start with, anyway—a compulsory smart ID card for everybody in this country?