ISMS Copilot
Supported frameworks

UK Data Protection Legal Frameworks

ISMS Copilot supports UK-specific data protection frameworks including UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Data Use and Access Bill 2025. Use the AI assistant to generate UK-compliant policies, assess data processing against UK requirements, and navigate post-Brexit data protection obligations.

The UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 work together as the UK's post-Brexit data protection regime. The Data Use and Access Bill 2025 introduces new requirements for data sharing and reuse. ISMS Copilot's knowledge base covers all three frameworks.

Supported UK Frameworks

UK GDPR

The UK's retained version of the EU GDPR, applicable to organizations processing personal data in the UK context. While substantially similar to EU GDPR, UK GDPR includes UK-specific interpretations, enforcement by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), and diverging guidance on international transfers and legitimate interests.

Data Protection Act 2018

The UK's implementing legislation for GDPR that supplements UK GDPR with provisions for law enforcement processing, national security exemptions, and specific rights and obligations under UK law. DPA 2018 defines special categories, sets retention rules for certain sectors, and establishes the ICO's enforcement powers.

Data Use and Access Bill 2025

New UK legislation governing data sharing between public and private sectors, smart data schemes, and digital verification services. The Bill introduces requirements for data sharing frameworks, customer data access rights in regulated sectors, and obligations for digital identity trust frameworks.

Specify the UK framework explicitly in your prompts to ensure the AI surfaces UK-specific requirements rather than EU GDPR guidance.

Instead of: "Generate a GDPR-compliant privacy policy"

Use: "Generate a privacy policy compliant with UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018"

For UK-specific articles: "Explain UK GDPR Article 6 lawful bases with ICO guidance"

For DPA 2018 provisions: "Create a Schedule 1 special category data processing policy under DPA 2018"

For Data Use and Access Bill: "Draft a smart data scheme compliance checklist for the Data Use and Access Bill 2025"

Reference the specific UK framework and include "ICO" (Information Commissioner's Office) in your prompts when you need UK-specific enforcement guidance or regulatory interpretation.

UK-Specific Use Cases

UK GDPR and DPA 2018 Compliance

International data transfers from the UK:

  • Generate International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs) for UK-to-third-country transfers

  • Create Transfer Risk Assessments (TRAs) aligned with ICO guidance

  • Draft Addendums to Standard Contractual Clauses for UK transfers

ICO accountability documentation:

  • Develop Article 30 Records of Processing Activities with UK-specific data categories

  • Generate Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) referencing ICO criteria

  • Create ICO breach notification templates (72-hour reporting requirements)

UK employment and HR data:

  • Draft employee privacy notices under DPA 2018 Schedule 1 conditions

  • Create UK-specific consent frameworks for employee monitoring or health data

  • Generate subject access request (SAR) procedures with ICO timelines and exemptions

Data Use and Access Bill 2025

Smart data schemes:

  • Assess readiness for mandatory customer data sharing in regulated sectors (energy, telecoms, finance)

  • Draft data sharing agreements aligned with smart data scheme requirements

  • Create customer consent mechanisms for third-party data access

Digital verification services:

  • Design trust framework compliance documentation for digital identity providers

  • Generate policies for processing verification data under the Bill's requirements

  • Create user rights procedures for digital verification data

Public-private data sharing:

  • Develop data sharing frameworks between public bodies and private organizations

  • Draft governance models for lawful data reuse under the Bill

  • Create transparency documentation for data sharing arrangements

The Data Use and Access Bill 2025 introduces new obligations alongside existing UK GDPR and DPA 2018 requirements. Organizations must comply with all applicable frameworks—prompts should reference multiple laws when generating comprehensive policies.

Example Prompts for UK Frameworks

UK GDPR policy generation:
"Create a data retention policy for a UK healthcare provider compliant with UK GDPR Article 5(1)(e) and DPA 2018 health data retention requirements. Include ICO guidance on retention periods for patient records."

UK-specific gap analysis:
"Analyze this privacy policy against UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, and ICO's accountability framework. Identify gaps in international transfer provisions and data subject rights procedures."

DPA 2018 special category data:
"Generate a legitimate interest assessment for processing employee health data under DPA 2018 Schedule 1, Part 2. Include substantial public interest conditions and safeguards."

Data Use and Access Bill compliance:
"Draft a compliance roadmap for an energy supplier preparing for smart data scheme obligations under the Data Use and Access Bill 2025. Include customer data portability requirements and third-party access controls."

ICO breach response:
"Create a personal data breach response procedure aligned with UK GDPR Article 33-34 and ICO reporting guidelines. Include decision trees for 72-hour notification requirements and data subject notification triggers."

Multi-framework compliance:
"Develop a Records of Processing Activities (RoPA) template for a UK fintech company that must comply with UK GDPR, DPA 2018, and the Data Use and Access Bill 2025 smart data provisions. Include fields for cross-border data flows and smart data scheme participation."

Upload existing UK policies, ICO correspondence, or audit reports to your workspace before prompting. The AI will tailor outputs to your specific UK compliance context and identify jurisdiction-specific gaps.

UK vs. EU GDPR Differences

When working with UK frameworks, be aware of key divergences from EU GDPR:

  • Transfers: UK uses IDTAs and UK Addendum to SCCs, not EU SCCs alone

  • Enforcement: ICO (UK) enforces, not EU Data Protection Authorities

  • Adequacy: UK has its own adequacy decisions; organizations transferring from UK to third countries follow UK-specific transfer mechanisms

  • Special categories: DPA 2018 Schedule 1 provides UK-specific conditions for processing special category data beyond EU GDPR Article 9

  • Exemptions: DPA 2018 Part 2-4 include UK-specific exemptions for law enforcement, intelligence services, and national security not present in EU GDPR

Specify "UK GDPR" rather than "GDPR" in prompts when these differences matter—for example, when generating transfer documentation or applying special category conditions.

Getting Started with UK Compliance

  1. Create a UK compliance workspace: Keep UK GDPR, DPA 2018, and Data Use and Access Bill work separate from EU or other jurisdictional compliance

  2. Identify applicable frameworks: Ask "Which UK data protection laws apply to [describe your processing]?" to scope your obligations

  3. Generate foundational UK policies: Start with UK GDPR privacy notices, DPA 2018 data retention policies, and ICO-aligned breach procedures

  4. Assess Data Use and Access Bill impact: If you're in a regulated sector (energy, telecoms, finance), prompt for smart data readiness assessments

  5. Review with UK legal counsel: All AI-generated UK compliance content should be validated by advisors familiar with ICO enforcement and UK-specific interpretations

External UK resources:

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