UK's Data Watchdog Gets a Makeover to Match Growing Demands

The UK is reforming its data protection framework under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, converting the Information Commissioner’s Office from a single-commissioner corporation sole into a board-run government agency; Paul Arnold has been named the first CEO and John Edwards will act as interim chair. The change aims to improve strategic continuity, handle growing workload, and increase diversity of decision-making, while the DUA Act expands the ICO’s investigatory and enforcement powers, adds secondary duties (e.g., promoting innovation and competition, considering national security and children’s protections), and mandates statutory codes and regulatory coordination; the ICO will also expand its Data Essentials training for SMEs.