UK introduces bill to fine manufacturers of unsecured digital products

The LITT Law platform

The UK government introduced the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill to regulate cybersecurity.

The Bill aims to impose harsher sanctions for non-compliance with the standards that the Bill introduces. It was created to protect consumers from attacks by hackers by imposing security requirements on all manufacturers of “internet-connectable” devices. These include smartphones, smart televisions, tablets and watches. In a study, about 20% of manufacturers of these products were found to have insufficient security measures in place.

Split into two parts, the “Product Security” measures will insist all stages of production from manufacturers to distributors comply with new security measures, such as not having default passwords on devices. Failure to do so could mean heaving fines are imposed and possible criminal sanctions to prevent products from entering the domestic market. Ministers can set the minimum requirements for security and powers to enforce sanctions for breaches.

The “Telecommunications Infrastructure,” amending the Electronic Communications Code, will have measures that support an efficient rollout of 5G networks to balance the interests of providers and the public. The aim is to encourage negotiations about agreements between network providers and landowners, instead of issuing legal proceedings.

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