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ICO 40 online exhibition - Our lives, our privacy: the 40 items that shaped 40 years of privacy rights

It’s 1984. The year of the first Apple Mac, the discovery of DNA fingerprint testing, AI running havoc in The Terminator and, in the UK, a new law has come into effect which gives people the right to access their own personal information held by others.

In a small office near Manchester, the ICO was founded as the UK’s data protection regulator, responsible for overseeing the new Data Protection Act and upholding your rights. We’ve witnessed a lot of change over the past 40 years, from the launch of social media to new laws giving you the right to access information. And yet, in many ways, very little has changed. The use of our personal information can either improve our lives or cause us harm.

We’ve collated 40 items that tell a tale of how privacy has been at the centre of some of the biggest events over the past 40 years. They represent key moments when people’s right to privacy or access to information has been affected – positively or negatively. We’ll point to ways you can take greater control over your privacy. And we’ll explain the role we’ve played protecting your rights, whether or not you realised we were by your side.

We also want to know what privacy means to you. What item to represent a moment from your past 40 years would you add to our exhibition? We’d love to hear the item you’d put on our empty plinth.

So click on the images below to learn more about each item, and how they shaped four decades of privacy rights.

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A pile of newspapers. On the top of the pile is edition number 8674 of the News of the World. The front page reads “Thank you and Goodbye”. This is the last ever edition of the News of the World. At the top of the page you can see that the news of the world existed from 1843 to 2011. A man looks out of the window. He's wearing a dark blue ICO enforcement jacket. Five people stand outside Aldwych House. They look stern and serious. They're holding a turquoise banner that reads “Justice for Sub-Postmasters Alliance”. Underneath the heading there are three demands. Firstly, a full statutory inquiry, secondly a demand to identify and hold the individuals responsible to account and finally to fully recompensate the victims.A person in a dark black outfit holds up a mirror to cover their face. The mirror is darkened and the glass is shattered. A woman is holding a personal child health record, sometimes known as the red book. It's open at a page that lists, the child family and birth details and local and information sources. Across the backdrop of a golden sunset over the sea - an oil rig looms at the front of this photo. You can see the drill drop down into the ocean gathering millions of pounds worth of this precious commodity.An up-close image of a man wearing a bright blue Covid face mask.A black tape recorder is open ready for the blank tape next to it to be placed inside. A woman has her feet up on a table. She’s leaning her feet on a pile of gardening magazines. She’s wearing blue Adidas trainers but added over the trainers are a pair of novelty grass aerator shoes. The shoes are attached to the bottom of the trainers and have large thick metal spikes out the bottom. An out of focus image of a woman in the kitchen. She's leaning to get a mug from a cupboard. Closer to the camera you can see an Alexa smart speaker. It’s light is shining – showing that it’s listening and ready to answer the woman’s questions as she does other tasks. A woman points a remote at the TV. On the screen, there's an FCA advert reminding people of the deadline to claim for PPI refunds. There is a robot Arnold Schwarzenegger head in the corner of the advert, about to roll across towards the centre of the screen. A man is working on a bundle of documents. He's highlighting a map of London. He's already highlighted the areas of Haringey and Hackney. Underneath the map you can see two more document piles. One set is from a London housing association and the other documents from a job centre.Two friends are chatting as they drive down a country road. The friend in the passenger seat points ahead as she looks down at Google Maps help her friend navigate the journey. A woman in a bright red floral dress is holding up an empty picture frame.

 

A man holds a white box in his hands. It's full to the brim with brightly coloured floppy discs - 726 to be exact. In front of the box in his other hand is a small USB drive. Both the box and the USB drive have exactly the same amount of memory. A person holds a blue school dinner tray. They've started to collect their dinner and have added a banana and an apple to the tray. A close up of a man as he pulls out a Tesco Clubcard from a black wallet. You can see three other debit cards. A woman holds a CD in the palm of her hand close up to the camera so you can see the rainbow holographic lights of the CD shine. A man is typing at an old laptop. The desktop background on the screen is the classic windows background of rolling hills. However, over the top there’s a dark warning message. A black box has appeared and in a bright red robotic font the message “You have been hacked.” A medical history form. You can see the person’s name, date of birth, their personal health history. medical problems and list of surgeries. This includes a nasal surgery at Wythenshawe Hospital in 2023. A person is stood outside against a wall. Their hand is raised and they’re holding a placard aloft that says, “Pay no poll tax. Don't pay. Don’t collect.” A person in white gloves and a white lab coat is assembling a small DNA model. A close up of a woman wearing a 1980s Everton football club shirt. The shirt is light grey with a blue V-neck and silver stripes. You can see the Everton Crest which is the letters EFC with 2 Laurel wreaths either side of Prince Rupert’s tower.Two surgeons in an operating room. The surgeon closer to the camera is holding a small robotic device. A series of seemingly random objects appear on a blue background. There is a white toilet seat, a tin of dog food, a corkscrew and a light bulb. A woman puts a mobile phone into an evidence bag.

A young man has put his mobile phone in a stand and is recording himself doing a dance for social media.A person is selecting an item to buy from a vending machine.A person is holding a set of index cards. The index card lists an electrician, named Joe Smith. It has his name, age, whether he is a member of union and a recommendation on whether this person should be hired or not. A man is holding and reading a small pamphlet about the Millennium Bug. The pamphlet has series of cartoons on the front representing shopping, flying, using technology like washing machines and computers, using credit cards and shopping. The title reads what everyone should know about the Millennium bug.A person types on MSN messenger. The login screen is open and they're about to start a conversation with friends.A man switches on a bright white PlusNet Wi-Fi box. A close up shot of a person holding a COVID-19 vaccination card.A woman is pinning a red ribbon in a cross formation to the lapel of her jacket. The pin is to show support for HIV charities. A still from CCTV footage of a woman as she walks into the ICO’s buildings. A person holds a Nokia 3210 in the palm of their hand A Food Standards Agency food hygiene rating poster. The black and green poster is stuck up in a doorway. This particular establishment has a five star food hygiene rating. You can see over the over the shoulder of a child as she looks at her Pokémon Go game on her phone. She's carrying a Pikachu and wearing a Pokémon T-shirt.A person is holding a mobile phone in their hands. On the screen there’s a padlock symbol. The phone is encrypted – only those who should have access can get in.