The ICO exists to empower you through information.

These self-assessment checklists have been created with small business owners and sole traders in mind. If you’re a small group or organisation, such as a sports club, these checklists will be useful for you too.

We’re here to help you improve your understanding of data protection and to help you decide what steps you need to take to make sure you’re using people’s personal data correctly and keeping it securely.

Every checklist you complete will provide you with a short report suggesting some practical actions to improve your data protection knowledge and compliance.

Let’s get started.

Does data protection law apply to my business?

Most small organisations will be processing personal data of some description. Take our short quiz to help you decide if data protection law applies to you.

How well do you comply with data protection law? An assessment for small business owners and sole traders

This checklist is for you if you work for yourself or if you have a small team and want to find out how well you comply. It would also be useful for those new to data protection looking to start with the basics.

Data protection self-assessment for small organisations

This checklist would be most helpful for small- to medium-sized organisations from the private, public and third sectors.

How well could you respond to a personal data breach?

This checklist will help you to check your ability to respond to a personal data breach. Please note this checklist is in a first phase and we’ll be making improvements.

Do you know what to include in your data protection training?

This checklist is for sole traders, and other UK small businesses. Use it to help people in your business get the right information about handling personal data correctly. Please note this checklist is in a first phase and we’ll be making improvements.

Are you transparent about how you use peoples data?

This checklist is to help sole traders, and other small organisations in the UK. Use it to help you and your business understand what you need to do to be open and transparent with people when you process their personal data. Please note this checklist is in a first phase and we’ll be making improvements.

How secure is your personal data?

This checklist is for sole traders and other UK small businesses. Use it to check whether you are keeping your personal data secure. Please note this checklist is in a first phase and we’ll be making improvements.