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News, blogs and speeches

420 in total

Grwpiau cymunedol a COVID-19

30 March 2020, Blog

Wrth i COVID-19 barhau i ysgubo ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig, mae mwy a mwy o bobl yn cael eu sbarduno i helpu'r rhai sy’n fwyaf agored i niwed yn ein cymunedau. Mae grwpiau eglwysig, cymdeithasau cymdogaeth a chymdeithasau trigolion yn cael eu sefydlu i gefnogi gwaith grwpiau cymunedol, gwasanaethau ac elusennau sy'n bodoli eisoes.  

Statement in response to the use of mobile phone tracking data to help during the coronavirus crisis

28 March 2020, Statement

Statement in response to the use of mobile phone tracking data to help during the coronavirus crisis

Community groups and COVID-19: what you need to know about data protection

26 March 2020, Blog

As COVID-19 continues to sweep across the UK, more and more people are driven to help the most vulnerable in our communities. 

Council employee fined £400 for illegally deleted audio file

13 March 2020, News

A council employee has been fined £400 for an offence under the Freedom of Information (FOI) regulations.  

Data protection and coronavirus

12 March 2020, Statement

We all share the same concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The need for public bodies and health practitioners to be able to communicate directly with people when dealing with this type of health emergency has never been greater.  

Don’t get caught out when it comes to pupil photos

09 March 2020, Blog

We’ve issued two reprimands, which are legal warnings, recently to schools for wrongly disclosing the personal data of children.

Combining privacy and innovation: ICO Sandbox six months on

09 March 2020, Blog

It’s been an exciting, interesting and challenging first six months for the ICO Sandbox – both for those externally involved in the various projects and for the ICO staff working on the scheme. Ian Hulme discusses the progress so far.

The ICO and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner sign Memorandum of Understanding

05 March 2020, Statement

James Dipple-Johnstone (Deputy Commissioner) said: Information rights regulation, in particular data protection regulation, has an increasingly international dimension.  

International airline fined £500,000 for failing to secure its customers’ personal data

04 March 2020, News

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined Cathay Pacific Airways Limited £500,000 for failing to protect the security of its customers’ personal data.

Scottish company hit with maximum fine for making nearly 200 million nuisance calls

02 March 2020, News

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined CRDNN Limited with the maximum £500,000 fine for making more than  193 million automated nuisance calls.

ICO Codes of Conduct and Certification schemes open for business

28 February 2020, News

Two key services to help organisations show accountability under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are up and running.  

Statement regarding the government’s initial response to Online Harms White Paper consultation

12 February 2020, Statement

Statement regarding the government’s in itial response to Online Harms White Paper consultation.

Joint statement warning FCA-authorised firms and insolvency practitioners to be responsible when dealing with personal data

07 February 2020, Statement

Joint statement from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

ICO celebrates excellence in data protection with third annual award for practitioners

04 February 2020, News

The Information Commissioner is looking for data protection practitioners who have made an outstanding impact within their organisation.

Statement on data protection and Brexit implementation – what you need to do

29 January 2020, Statement

The UK will leave the European Union on 31 January and enter a Brexit transition period.  

Data Protection Day 2020

28 January 2020, News

The ICO is marking this year’s annual Data Protection Day by highlighting data sharing resources and guidance.

ICO launches latest phase of privacy innovation grants programme

28 January 2020, News

Applications are now open for the third round of funding from the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) grants programme. The scheme, which began in 2017, supports privacy and data…

ICO statement in response to an announcement made by the Metropolitan Police Service on the use of live facial recognition

24 January 2020, Statement

In October 2019 we concluded our investigation into how police use live facial recognition technology (LFR) in public places. Our investigation found there was public support for police use of LFR but also that there needed to be improvements in how police authorised and deployed the technology if it was to retain public confidence and address privacy concerns. We set out our views in a formal Opinion for police forces.

ICO attends the second ICIC FOI case handling workshop

23 January 2020, Blog

Hosted by the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, the annual workshop provides an opportunity for different jurisdictions across the globe to share working practices and ideas. ICO colleagues in attendance provide an overview of the event.

ICO publishes Code of Practice to protect children’s privacy online

21 January 2020, News

Today the Information Commissioner’s Office has published its final Age Appropriate Design Code – a set of 15 standards that online services should meet to protect children’s privacy.

ICO yn cyhoeddi Cod Ymarfer i ddiogelu preifatrwydd plant ar-lein

21 January 2020, News

Heddiw, mae Swyddfa'r Comisiynydd Gwybodaeth wedi cyhoeddi ei Chod Dylunio Oed-briodol – sef set o 15 o safonau y dylai gwasanaethau ar-lein eu bodloni i ddiogelu preifatrwydd plant.

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.