News, blogs and speeches

Blog: Adtech - the reform of real time bidding has started and will continue

17 January 2020, Blog

The adtech real time bidding (RTB) industry is complex, involving thousands of companies in the UK alone.

National retailer fined half a million pounds for failing to secure information of at least 14 million people

09 January 2020, News

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined DSG Retail Limited (DSG) £500,000 after a ‘point of sale’ computer system was compromised as a result of a cyber-attack, affecting at least 14 million people.

ICO launches consultation on draft direct marketing code of practice

08 January 2020, Statement

ICO launches consultation on draft direct marketing code of practice

Blog: The benefits of sharing personal data – what can we learn from Open Banking?

06 January 2020, Blog

The ICO’s Regulators’ Business Innovation Privacy Hub has recently been looking at the key data protection considerations for innovators who are working in the Open Banking space.

Trust, technology and slippers with torches

23 December 2019, Blog

Much has changed since Jonathan Bamford, (former) Director of Strategic Policy (Domestic Policy), joined the Information Commissioner’s Office, but as he comes to retire, he reflects on 34 years in data protection.

Statement on ICO-approved certification schemes

20 December 2019, Statement

The ICO has announced it will be working with UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) to deliver the ICO-approved certification schemes. The ICO will approve and publish the certification schemes and,…

Adtech and the data protection debate – where next?

20 December 2019, Blog

Six months ago we issued our Adtech Update Report with a clear message to industry that they had six months to read, internalise and act upon our report. Our view from the outset was that this is an industry problem requiring an industry solution. We have just reached the end of that six month period and are reviewing our findings.

London pharmacy fined after “careless” storage of patient data

20 December 2019, News

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined a London-based pharmacy £275,000 for failing to ensure the security of special category data.

The Data Protection Fee: does your company need to pay?

03 December 2019, Blog

We have launched a campaign to contact all registered companies in the UK reminding them of their legal responsibility to pay a data protection fee.

ICO and The Alan Turing Institute open consultation on first piece of AI guidance

02 December 2019, Blog

What do we really understand about how decisions are made about us using artificial intelligence (AI)? The potential for AI is huge, but its implementation is often complex, which makes it difficult for people to understand how it works. And when people don’t understand a technology, it can lead to doubt, uncertainty and mistrust.

ICO Deputy Commissioner appointed OECD working party chair

27 November 2019, News

The ICO’s Steve Wood has been appointed as chair of the OECD’s Working Party on Data Governance and Privacy.

ICO submits Age Appropriate Design Code of Practice to government

22 November 2019, News

The Information Commissioner has today (Friday 22 November) submitted the final version of the Age Appropriate Design Code of Practice to the Secretary of State in accordance with the statutory deadline.

Blog: Data ethics and the digital economy

18 November 2019, Blog

We’ve just appointed our first data ethics adviser, Ellis Parry, to consider data protection and ethics challenges over the next year.

Why special category personal data needs to be handled even more carefully

14 November 2019, Blog

Imagine if your medical records, information about your sex life or your political opinions were put into the public domain so anyone could see them. When personal data is shared by mistake the effects can be extremely damaging.

Information rights blog: Access to Information in Turbulent Times

13 November 2019, Blog

This is the first in a series of blog posts covering our regulation of access to information legislation. The first post is by Gill Bull, ICO’s Director of Freedom of Information Complaints and Compliance, who delivered the 2019 Bond Lecture at the British Records Association on 13 November 2019.

Bond Lecture 2019: ‘Access to Information in Turbulent Times’

13 November 2019, Speech

Gill Bull, ICO’s Director of Freedom of Information Complaints and Compliance, speech at the British Records Association in London, 13 November 2019.

Information Commissioner reminds political parties they must comply with the law ahead of General Election

05 November 2019, Statement

The Information Commissioner has sent the following letter to the political parties in relation to the use of data in political campaigning

Live facial recognition technology – police forces need to slow down and justify its use

31 October 2019, Blog

As far back as Sir Robert Peel, the powers of the police have always been seen as dependent on public support of their actions. It’s an ideal starting point as we consider uses of technology like live facial recognition (LFR).

Statement on an agreement reached between Facebook and the ICO

30 October 2019, Statement

In 2017 the Information Commissioner's Office ("ICO") commenced a formal investigation into the misuse of personal data in political campaigns.

AI Auditing Framework Call for Input: final considerations and next steps

28 October 2019, Blog

As the initial Call for Input into the development of the ICO AI Auditing Framework comes to an end, Simon McDougall, Executive Director for Technology and Innovation, reflects on some of the overarching themes that have emerged in the first phase of our work.

Blog: Embedding accountability – we want to hear from you

28 October 2019, Blog

A blog by Ian Hulme, Director for Regulatory Assurance.

Data Protection Impact Assessments and AI

23 October 2019, Blog

Simon Reader, Senior Policy Officer, discusses some of the key considerations for organisations undertaking data protection impact assessments for Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems.

Blog: How coming to work at the ICO on a secondment can benefit both of us

22 October 2019, Blog

We have significantly expanded our permanent workforce over the last two years but we are also keen to increase the variety and number of people who join us on temporary secondment from other organisations.

Blog: Global collaboration and how it helps the UK

21 October 2019, Blog

A blog by Elizabeth Denham, Information Commissioner.

Privacy and Innovation - Lessons learnt from the FCA TechSprint

16 October 2019, Blog

I’ve found there’s often a misconception that regulation seeks to stifle innovation and that the role of regulators is to add layers of red tape.

Enabling access, erasure, and rectification rights in AI systems

15 October 2019, Blog

Reuben Binns, our Research Fellow in Artificial Intelligence (AI), discusses the challenges organisations may face in implementing mechanisms in AI systems that allow data subjects to exercise their rights of access, rectification and erasure

ICO raids business suspected of illegal pension cold calls

03 October 2019, News

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) searched a business premises in Chichester today as part of an investigation into the making of nuisance calls related to pensions.

International Day for the Universal Access to Information 2019

28 September 2019, Statement

Today marks the annual commemoration of the 'International Day for the Universal Access to Information'. This year’s theme is 'Leaving No One Behind!' and looks at how we can ensure innovation and new technologies help broaden access to information.

Dirwy a hysbysiad gorfodi i Superior Style Home Improvements

18 September 2019, News

Mae Swyddfa’r Comisiynydd Gwybodaeth (ICO) wedi rhoi dirwy o £150,000 i gwmni ffenestri dwbl o Abertawe am wneud galwadau niwsans.

Superior Style Home Improvements fined and issued with enforcement notice

17 September 2019, News

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined a Swansea double-glazing company £150,000 for making nuisance calls.

Privacy attacks on AI models

12 September 2019, Blog

Reuben Binns, our Research Fellow in Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Andrew Paterson, Principal Technology Adviser, discuss new security risks associated with AI, whereby the personal data of the people who the system was trained on might be revealed by the system itself.

SMOs must “prepare for all scenarios” to maintain data flows when UK leaves the EU

11 September 2019, News

The ICO has urged businesses to “prepare for all scenarios” as it publishes dedicated guidance to help small and medium sized organisations prepare for the possibility that the UK leaves the European Union with no deal.

Information Commissioner’s Office issues warning about historical personal details accessed through work

05 September 2019, Statement

An ICO investigation into the actions of two former Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers has concluded.

Statement on the High Court judgement on the use of live facial recognition technology by South Wales Police

04 September 2019, Statement

An ICO spokesperson said: "We will be reviewing the judgment carefully. We welcome the court’s finding that the police use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) systems involves the processing of sensitive personal data of members of the public, requiring compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018. This new and intrusive technology has the potential, if used without the right privacy safeguards, to undermine rather than enhance confidence in the police."

Data minimisation and privacy-preserving techniques in AI systems

21 August 2019, Blog

Reuben Binns, our Research Fellow in Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Valeria Gallo, Technology Policy Adviser, discuss some of the techniques organisations can use to comply with data minimisation requirements when adopting AI systems.

Statement: Live facial recognition technology in King's Cross

15 August 2019, Statement

Statement from Elizabeth Denham, Information Commissioner, on the use of live facial recognition technology in King's Cross, London.

Blog: Three top issues for town and parish councils

14 August 2019, Blog

The advent of the GDPR in May 2018 brought new data protection obligations for many organisations. Some of this presented a challenge, particularly for smaller organisations like parish and town councils, who we saw were keen to demonstrate their compliance but needed support to achieve this.

ICO launches consultation on the draft framework code of practice for the use of personal data in political campaigning

09 August 2019, Statement

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is consulting on a new framework code of practice for the use of personal data in political campaigning. The framework code will serve both as helpful…

Protecting children online: update on progress of ICO code

07 August 2019, Blog

In April, I blogged about the ICO’s work to help protect children online. I’m pleased to report that my team and I are making good progress on producing a code that will translate General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements into design standards for online services.

ICO joins international signatories in raising Libra data protection concerns

05 August 2019, News

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has joined data protection authorities around the world in raising common data protection concerns about the proposed Libra digital currency and infrastructure.

Fully automated decision making AI systems (blogger post)

05 August 2019, Blog

Reuben Binns, our Research Fellow in Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Valeria Gallo, Technology Policy Adviser, discuss some of the key safeguards organisations should implement when using solely automated AI systems to make decisions with significant impacts on data subjects.

ICO fines boiler replacement company for thousands of nuisance calls made to TPS subscribers

02 August 2019, News

Making it Easy Ltd has been fined £160,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for making spam calls to people registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust update, July 2019

31 July 2019, Statement

In July 2017, following reports concerning the use of Google DeepMind’s Streams application at the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust, the ICO announced that the processing of personal data within Streams was not compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998 – the relevant data protection law at the time. Having identified several shortcomings with the data processing, the Trust signed an undertaking committing it to bringing the processing into line with data protection laws, including the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

People care more about how their personal data is used. But what aspects cause them most concern?

31 July 2019, Blog

Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham introduces our Annual Track 2019 report.

ICO selects first participants for data protection Sandbox

29 July 2019, News

The use of biometrics to speed up airport passenger journeys, innovations in crime prevention and technological advances in the health sector are among the first projects selected to take part in the ICO Sandbox.

AI Auditing Framework blog: Trade-offs

25 July 2019, Blog

Reuben Binns, our Research Fellow in Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Valeria Gallo, Technology Policy adviser, discuss how using AI can require trade-offs between data protection principles, and what organisations can do to assess and balance them.

Estate agency fined £80,000 for failing to keep tenants’ data safe

19 July 2019, News

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined a London estate agency £80,000 for leaving 18,610 customers' personal data exposed for almost two years.

Former motor industry worker ordered to pay £25,500 from proceeds of data theft

17 July 2019, News

A motor industry employee who was sentenced to six months in prison in November 2018 for accessing personal data without permission, has been ordered to pay a £25,500 confiscation order in a case brought by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

ICO launches consultation on draft data sharing code of practice

16 July 2019, Statement

As required by the Data Protection Act 2018 we are working on updating our Data sharing code of practice, which was originally published in 2011.

Speech: The future of online advertising regulation

11 July 2019, Speech

Simon McDougall, Executive Director for Technology Policy and Innovation’s speech at the Westminster Media Forum Keynote Seminar: The future of online advertising regulation.