The Information Commissioner’s Office or ICO is an independent body in the UK that helps to regulate individuals and businesses information rights. There are four main offices based in Cheshire, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff. They help to ensure that data protection is being followed and that any instances of data being lost or stolen are dealt with in the right way.
It is important that businesses that have access to people’s personal data, are registered with the ICO. This then helps them to identify what risks a business may have in terms of the potential harm that occurs if data was lost or stolen. These risks can then be mitigated by using the services of a Confidential Waste Disposal Oxford company like www.printwaste.co.uk/confidential-shredding/confidential-shredding-oxford/ or by using security software.
The ICO covers a number of important legislations in the UK including the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection Act and many more. In cases where data has been stolen or lost, the ICO will work with the business or organisation to work out what the potential risk to individuals is. They may then ask the business to take certain steps to secure the data and in some instances fines may be given that can amount to 4% of a businesses global turnover annually, or £17.5 million, whichever one of these is highest.
