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Digital Britain Report

The final version of  the Digital Britain Report has just been released. To mark the event Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw delivered a statement in Parliment. Here is a brief summary of the findings:

Guidance regarding personal data will have to wait for the Personal Information Online: code of practice, due May 2010:

Personal data is the new currency of the digital world. Privacy and security of that data is an increasingly critical issue. The Information Commissioner is developing a new Code of Practice “Personal Information Online” for publication later this year. The Prime Minister has appointed Sir Tim Berners-Lee to form a panel of experts to deliver better use of public data. Effective self-regulation is also vital. The Internet Advertising Bureau’s good practice principles for providers who collect and use data for behavioural advertising mirror best practice in the USA adapted for the E.U.’s data protection framework.

The Government seems to acknowledge that content is now a distributed affair:

The digital economy is changing the nature of business, so business models need to adapt to remain competitive. New methods to extract revenue from content and services are needed, in a world where direct communication between users allows copyright protection to be bypassed and content to move without central control.

It goes on to say:

To ensure that the UK economy and UK taxpayers gain the benefits of our ability to gather and use data, while retaining confidence that proper protections are in place, Government needs to play a leading role in the debate.

Before ending with nod towards Phorm.

Targeted advertising is a new business model and, properly handled, could be an important revenue earner.

It is unclear whether the Government itself will try use such techniques for revenue generation.