News, blogs and speeches

Director’s update: the FOI year in review

24 April 2024, Blog

It’s fair to say that it’s been a heck of a year for the FOI team.

ICO launches “consent or pay” call for views and updates on cookie compliance work

06 March 2024, Blog

A blog by Stephen Almond, Executive Director, Regulatory Risk.

Supporting the right of access for people with experience of the care system in Scotland

28 February 2024, Blog

Records of personal information are so important to people who have experience of the care system, as they are often key to understanding their personal history and identity.

ICO warns organisations to proactively make advertising cookies compliant after positive response to November call to action

31 January 2024, Blog

Last November we wrote to 53 of the UK’s top 100 websites, warning that they faced enforcement action if they did not make changes to advertising cookies to comply with data protection law.

Are you clear on clarifying information requests?

10 January 2024, Blog

Public organisations hold a huge amount of information across a wide range of areas.

How data protection law can prevent harm in the housing sector

05 December 2023, Blog

Housing organisations require personal data to provide services and support to their residents – this could be anything from contact details to medical records.

We looked into text pests and here's what we found

29 November 2023, Blog

Earlier this year, you may have seen media reports about people receiving unwanted contact from 'text pests' after using services such as booking a taxi or ordering a pizza.

What to consider when using online forms to receive information requests

15 November 2023, Blog

As freedom of information (FOI) practitioners, you have a responsibility to help requesters clarify what it is they want from you.

Assessing data protection practices of UK tracing agents

14 November 2023, Blog

Earlier this year a women’s charity raised concerns with us about the alleged actions of a tracing agent – an investigator using various methods to find a person’s current address details.

How data protection law can help retailers tackle shoplifting

24 October 2023, Blog

As statistics show that shoplifting is up by 27% across ten of the largest cities in the UK*, more retailers are turning to technology to protect their business. Data protection law enables…

Director’s update – Delivering more strategic regulation in 12 months than in the lifetime of FOI

10 August 2023, Blog

Just over a year ago, I announced that we had published our new Freedom of Information (FOI) regulatory manual, which set out our approach to more strategic enforcement of FOI in line with our statutory powers.

It’s time to end damaging website design practices that may harm your users

09 August 2023, Blog

Have you ever considered the power you hold over people who visit your website? The website design practices you put in place can make their user journeys as smooth as silk, making it easier to find exactly what they’re looking for and encourage them to come back – but the darker side of that power is when it is used to pressurise and confuse.

Helping public organisations to get information access right

20 July 2023, Blog

In ICO25, we established our strategic enduring objective to promote openness, transparency and accountability.

What happens when they don’t pay? Our work to tackle unlawful marketing calls and messages

17 July 2023, Blog

Anyone can be on the receiving end of nuisance marketing calls, texts and emails – not only are they inconvenient and an invasion of privacy, they can also cause real distress. Nobody should be made to feel uncomfortable after simply answering the phone, receiving a text or opening their emails. We know the harm they can do. That’s why we’re committed to protecting both people and businesses by taking robust action to stop companies from making or sending unlawful marketing communications.

Necessity and proportionality: questions police must ask when considering sharing personal information with the public

09 May 2023, Blog

A blog by Emily Keaney, the ICO's Deputy Commissioner for Regulatory Policy.

Protecting privacy during a pandemic: our work on the UK’s Covid apps

25 April 2023, Blog

A blog by Ian Hulme, the ICO's Director of Regulatory Assurance.

Local elections and my personal data - what should I expect?

24 April 2023, Blog

With local elections in England and Northern Ireland on the horizon, we know many people have questions about how their data may be used during an election. Personal information is an important part of political campaigning. It allows political parties to get crucial messages to voters and helps them to understand the key issues for different people.

Generative AI: eight questions that developers and users need to ask

03 April 2023, Blog

A blog by Stephen Almond, Director of Technology and Innovation.

Balancing people’s privacy rights with the need to prevent crime

30 March 2023, Blog

A blog by Stephen Bonner, Deputy Commissioner - Regulatory Supervision.

Director’s Update – celebrating success and challenging ourselves for the future

28 March 2023, Blog

A blog post from Warren Seddon, Director of FOI and Transparency.

Why addressing AI-driven discrimination is so important

08 March 2023, Blog

As a woman who also became an immigrant, the concepts of equity and inclusion have always been close to my heart. My career began as a journalist, working for newspapers across both Greece and the UK.

The Lockdown Files will help us learn from the experience of Covid

06 March 2023, Blog

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

New FOI resources to support public authorities

02 February 2023, Blog

We’ve been working hard, following the commitments made in our ICO25 plan, to make improvements to our Freedom of Information (FOI) services. We want to enhance the experience and outcomes for people making FOI requests and also support public authorities to be transparent and accountable about the decisions they make.

Addressing concerns on the use of AI by local authorities

19 January 2023, Blog

A blog by Stephen Bonner, Deputy Commissioner – Regulatory Supervision

Blog: Commissioner responds to misdirected criticism of journalism code

21 December 2022, Blog

As a society we understand that a free press is an essential function of our democracy.

Providing certainty on how we enforce the laws we regulate

06 December 2022, Blog

A blog by Stephen Eckersley, ICO Director of Investigations.

Blog: International transfers: empowering innovation and growth whilst protecting people’s personal information

16 November 2022, Blog

It’s important that businesses and organisations know how to protect people’s personal information when making international transfers, which are central to the increasingly global nature of businesses.

Blog: Making our employment guidance work for you

27 October 2022, Blog

Working life for millions of people has changed a lot over the past few years. Every sector, industry and size of business has been affected by the pandemic and the accelerated pace of change of the workplace; whether that’s through a rise in remote working, the use of artificial intelligence to sift and respond to job applications or the increased use of monitoring technologies.

Data protection is an enabler, not a blocker, of good quality research

29 September 2022, Blog

Director of Regulatory Assurance Ian Hulme's blog for Research Live (external link).

Director’s Update – International Day for Universal Access to Information 2022

28 September 2022, Blog

This is the fourth in a series of updates from Warren Seddon, Director of FOI and Transparency. His blog posts provide a regular update on our FOI work and share key learnings to help practitioners and the wider FOI community understand our developing thinking and carry out their roles.

Subject Access Requests: Getting the basics right

26 September 2022, Blog

Information can drive everything in our lives from healthcare to job opportunities to the decisions made for and about us.

Sharing personal data in an emergency - a guide for universities and colleges

22 September 2022, Blog

Starting university or further education can be an exciting time, but for some it can also be a difficult and anxious transition.

Director’s Update – Looking at the future of Freedom of Information (FOI) through ICO25

13 July 2022, Blog

This is the third in a series of updates from Warren Seddon, Director of FOI and Transparency. His blog posts provide a regular update on our FOI work and share key learnings to help practitioners and the wider FOI community understand our developing thinking and carry out their roles.

ICO's work in the media - taking action against nuisance calls

29 June 2022, Blog

The ICO's work in the media - our work to recover fines

15 June 2022, Blog

The New Statesman published a story about our fines issued since 2017. We can issue fines under the Data Protection Act 2018, which sets out the obligations for organisations using personal data in the UK, and under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), which sets out the rules around marketing by electronic means, including marketing calls, texts, emails and faxes.

ICO's work in the media - “Who’s under investigation?” widespread media coverage of the Commissioner’s Opinion

06 June 2022, Blog

The Opinion received widespread media coverage including the Commissioner being interviewed live on BBC Breakfast News, the Today programme and LBC news channel.

ICO's work in the media - Tackling global privacy harms with international cooperation

26 May 2022, Blog

There has been widespread coverage in the media, including in The Guardian, Daily Mail and Sky News about our enforcement action against Clearview AI Inc.

Doing more with less – working with the FOI community

20 May 2022, Blog

This is the second in a series of updates from Warren Seddon, Director of FOI and Transparency. His blog posts provide a regular update on our FOI work and share key learnings to help practitioners and the wider FOI community understand our developing thinking and carry out their roles.

What does equality of access really mean when developing a career with a visual impairment?

19 May 2022, Blog

On Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Paul Arnold, ICO Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer shares his story.

A day in the life of the ICO’s information management team

12 May 2022, Blog

“ It’s important to remember the people behind the information.” – A day in the life of the ICO’s information management team.

ICO's work in the media - Reflecting on a year of regulator collaboration in the DRCF

29 April 2022, Blog

We are not the only regulator with an interest in the digital world - the CMA, Ofcom and FCA also have a role to play. We work together as the Digital Regulator Cooperation Forum (DRCF) to coordinate our regulation of the digital world more efficiently and achieve better outcomes for consumers.