HMRC likely to have breached privacy laws in stopping child benefit – experts

Government Faces Criticism Over Flawed Data-Driven Child Benefit Crackdown

Critics are accusing ministers of breaching data protection laws after thousands of families were incorrectly stopped from receiving child benefit due to incomplete Home Office travel data. The decision was made by HMRC, which used the flawed information as part of a government anti-fraud operation.

The suspension of child benefits was implemented after the Home Office shared its travel data with HMRC, but it emerged that this data was incomplete and inaccurate in many cases. As a result, thousands of families were wrongly stopped from receiving their benefits, including those who had simply returned to the UK by air or on holidays as long ago as three years ago.

Legal experts have warned that HMRC's actions could be seen as a breach of data protection laws, with one barrister stating that personal data must be accurate and fit for purpose. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has also gotten involved, contacting HMRC over the issues raised.

HMRC has denied breaching any data protection laws, claiming it had done nothing wrong in relation to its child benefit compliance activity. However, critics argue that the use of incomplete data was unnecessary and proportionate, raising concerns about the government's human rights record.

In response to the crisis, HMRC has apologized for the distress caused to victims and suspended the practice of stopping child benefits until it had first checked with recipients. The tax authority also plans to cross-check travel data with pay as you earn (PAYE) tax data it holds.

As the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for work and pensions, Steve Darling, said: "After the carers allowance repayments scandal, this news raises fresh concerns that things are seriously wrong within our welfare system."

Ugh, this is just so messed up ! I mean, can you even believe they used flawed data to mess with people's benefits? It's like something out of a movie where the villain uses fake info to take advantage of others . And it's not just that, it's the fact that thousands of families were affected and some have been without their benefits for years . I feel so bad for them, especially considering they might be relying on those benefits to make ends meet. It's like the government is playing with people's lives and it's just not okay . And what really gets me is that HMRC is claiming they did nothing wrong... come on, guys! Get your facts straight and take responsibility for this mess .

This is getting out of hand. Flawed data causing thousands of families to lose benefits is a huge mistake. I mean, who checks for errors in travel data? It's just common sense! And now they're saying it was all about anti-fraud, but if you can't get the basics right, how do you trust them with more serious stuff?

Government really needs to get their act together on data protection! Flawed info is gonna ruin lives

HMRC's botched child benefit crackdown is just another example of how flawed data can mess lives . Thousands wrongly denied benefits just 'cause their travel info was dodgy ️. How hard is it to get travel data right?

this is just getting embarrassing for the gov . they're always going on about how much they care about poor families and kids, but it seems like they can't even get their own data straight. thousands of people's lives are being messed with because of some bugged travel data . and now they're just apologizing and suspending the practice? that's not good enough . what needs to change is that these mistakes aren't happening in the first place, and they need to start taking responsibility for their own systems . it's time for a bit of reform and accountability, before more people get hurt

I'm not sure I agree with all the outrage over this one . I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a bit of an embarrassment for HMRC, but let's put things into perspective - those kids need their benefits, right? And from what I've read, it was just a bit of faulty data that led to the whole thing . The fact is, we're living in a world where more and more info is being shared between government agencies, and sometimes mistakes happen . But, at the end of the day, the kids are fine, their benefits have been reinstated, and things will get sorted . It's not the end of the world, guys .

This is so unfair fam . I mean, you're already stressing about bills and providing for your kids, and then they come along and take away their benefits because of some dodgy data ? That's just not right. I think HMRC should've double-checked the info before hitting people with it . And what's up with the Liberal Dem's got some valid points tho , our welfare system needs to be on point and make sure everyone gets what they're owed . We need more transparency and accountability in this kind of thing, you feel?

I'm telling you, this is a perfect storm of bureaucratic ineptness and a clear case of the government trying to score cheap points without actually doing its homework. I mean, come on, who thought it was a good idea to use flawed data to punish thousands of families? It's just another example of how our system can turn against the very people it's meant to help.

And let's not forget, this whole thing started because HMRC got lazy and relied on incomplete data from the Home Office. It's like they're trying to hide behind some technicality rather than actually addressing the problem.

This is what happens when you have a system that's more focused on fighting perceived fraud than on actually supporting vulnerable families. I think we need to take a step back and ask ourselves why this keeps happening. Is it because of a lack of oversight or accountability? Because of a culture of finger-pointing rather than blame?

We should be having an honest conversation about how we're going to fix our welfare system, not just apologizing for mistakes and making promises that don't always keep. We need real change, not just spin.

so another 'data-driven' decision by the gov that's backfired big time... thousands of families affected because of a simple mistake . I mean, can't they just double-check their info before making these decisions? it's not like they're trying to scam anyone or break any laws on purpose, but still... the fact that they even thought using incomplete data was a good idea is just shady . and now the ICO is getting involved, which is good news, I guess . let's hope they can sort this out and get it right next time . and what's with all these 'data protection laws' anyway? aren't those supposed to prevent exactly this kind of thing from happening?

Ugh, I'm not surprised to hear this . Government agencies always finding new ways to mess up our lives. So they use incorrect data to deny child benefits and then claim it's not their fault? Give me a break! And now the ICO is involved because someone finally had the guts to speak out about this gross mistake. I mean, what's next? The government gonna use faulty traffic data to fine people for speeding? It's just another example of them trying to control every aspect of our lives and screwing it up in the process

I'm not surprised to hear about this flawed data-driven crackdown on child benefits. How can you trust a system when it's more interested in chasing after "fraud" than actually helping vulnerable families? And what's with the lack of transparency from HMRC? If they had done their due diligence on that travel data, thousands of innocent families wouldn't be suffering.

The fact that Legal experts are warning about potential breaches of data protection laws is a red flag. Accurate and up-to-date personal data is essential, especially when it comes to benefits that can make or break someone's financial stability. It's even more concerning that the government claims they did nothing wrong... if you ask me, this sounds like another case of poor planning and inadequate oversight.

The Liberal Democrat spokesperson has a point about the carers allowance repayments scandal - this latest debacle smells similar to abuse of power. Can we trust our tax authorities to prioritize accuracy over expediency?

I'm totally getting why HMRC's using flawed travel data to stop child benefits from being paid out... I mean, who doesn't love a good anti-fraud operation, right? But at the same time, it's just so... wrong that thousands of families got messed up because of some dodgy info. Like, what if they had no way of proving their travel history or something? That would be totally unfair, man .

I'm not sure whether HMRC is entirely innocent here, either... I mean, didn't they know the data was incomplete and all that? Maybe they just thought it wouldn't affect anyone's benefits? But still, that's no excuse for messing up people's lives like this. It's a total mess, you know?

And what's with the Liberal Democrat dude saying that things are seriously wrong within our welfare system? Like, isn't he kinda right? I mean, if even he thinks something's fishy... but then again, maybe we just need to tighten up the whole data protection thing and make sure it's more accurate. Ugh, my head is spinning

I'm totally freaking out about this one. Like, what's going on with our government? They're supposed to be helping families, not messing them over. Thousands of mums and dads who were just trying to get some support for their kids got wrongly stopped from receiving child benefit because of crappy data. It's just so unfair. And it's not like the family was doing anything wrong either. Just returning home by air or on holiday. What's the big deal?

And I'm also really worried about what this says about our data protection laws. Like, are we just being treated as statistics or something? Personal data is supposed to be accurate and fit for purpose, right? But it seems like HMRC was just using whatever data they had, even if it was rubbish. That's a huge breach of trust.

I think this whole situation is just a massive headache . I mean, can't they just double-check the data before messing with people's lives? It's not like it's rocket science, but apparently, even a flawed travel record from 3 years ago could be enough to stop someone from getting their child benefit .

And don't even get me started on how this is all being handled. HMRC just denies any wrongdoing and claims they did everything by the book? Like, that's not reassuring at all . I'm glad the ICO is looking into this, but I wish there was more transparency about what went wrong in the first place.

I also think we need to take a step back and ask ourselves if this kind of thing can happen because of our welfare system being too complex? It feels like we're just passing the buck instead of fixing the problem. We should be working on making things better for families, not messing with their benefits .

omg what a total mess this is so not right! thousands of families getting their benefits stopped because of some dodgy travel data and now the gov's trying to cover it up legal experts are saying they breached data protection laws and it's a total breach of trust like what if these families were counting on that money to feed their kids?! and what's with the gov not taking responsibility for this mess? at least HMRC is apologizing now, but this should've never happened in the first place

I mean, come on... Thousands of families wrongly stopped from getting child benefit over some dodgy travel data? It's a total mess! How can you just assume someone's been out of the country when they've only flown in for a holiday three years ago? Sounds like some serious lazy work to me. And now we're told HMRC is gonna check with pay as you earn tax data? Like that's gonna fix everything... It's just another example of tech trying to solve problems it doesn't even fully understand. Can't trust a government agency to use incomplete data without causing chaos? Guess we'll see how this all plays out!

I mean come on, didn't they test the data before using it to stop thousands of families from getting their child benefits? It's not like they just woke up one morning and decided to mess with people's lives. And now they're saying that HMRC did nothing wrong? That doesn't add up.

And what about those who were wrongly affected? The fact that they've had to deal with the stress of losing their child benefits is just unacceptable. I don't think it's too much to ask for our government to get things right before messing with people's lives.

Ugh I'm so worried about all these families who got wrongly stopped from receiving their child benefits. I mean, think about it - they had to deal with stress and uncertainty over their payments just because some data was flawed . And now the government is saying it's not a breach of data protection laws? That doesn't sound right to me.

I know we need to crack down on fraud and all that, but can't they have used more accurate methods instead of relying on incomplete travel data? It's just common sense. And what about those families who had simply come back from holidays or something? They didn't do anything wrong, so why should they get penalized?

The fact that HMRC is trying to cross-check the travel data with PAYE tax data is a good start, I guess . But what about those families who are still waiting for their benefits to be reinstated? That's just not right . The government needs to get its act together and make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again .

omg u dont no how frustrating this is for so many families i mean whats the point of even having child benefit if the government cant even get it right? its not like they were asking for extra money or anything, they just need enough to make ends meet. and now theres all these ppl who are stuck with nothing cause of some messed up travel data how r u sposed to plan for the future when u dont know if u get ur benefits on time? its just not right