The ICO exists to empower you through information.

Advice for small organisations

Here you’ll find advice and guidance for small to medium sized enterprises, start up’s, sole traders, small charities, groups and clubs. Use our easy self-serve tools to get answers to your questions and generate tailored advice. Or read our helpful bitesize guidance and tips.

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Tailored direct marketing advice in 10 to 15 mins!

All organisations carrying out direct marketing must comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations (PECR), and the UK GDPR. Our new direct marketing advice generator provides tailored advice for your activities. Including email, SMS, direct mail, social media and more. Use our feedback survey afterwards to help us develop the tool for all small organisations.

Start here

A quick run-through of the data protection basics for small organisations, including small businesses and sole traders

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Find the right resource

A handy library of resources you'll find on the data protection advice hub for small organisations.
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Data protection: what’s in it for me?

Discover the benefits of data protection for your organisation, customers, or others you deal with.
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Your beginner’s guide to data protection

Not sure where to start? Top tips for protecting your data and taking your first steps towards compliance.
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Data protection fee: what you need to do

Find out if you need to pay. Most small companies only need to pay £40 a year, and some are exempt.
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Key data protection terms you need to know

Make sense of data protection with our short guide to the key terms you’ll need to get started

Data protection fines – why they happen and how to avoid them

Find out why we issue fines and what happens with complaints about your organisation

Quick and easy self-serve resources:

Find the answers to your questions, and generate tailored advice with our range of reliable self-serve tools