Latest articles on Data Protection Act

Data protection laws are too relaxed and require revision

(31/08/2010)

In April this year, the ICO was empowered to impose fines of up to £500,000 on companies found to have breached the data protection principles, while the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) issued a Call for Evidence to learn whether the European Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and the Data Protection Act 1998 is working and how it is impacting on individuals and organisations. However, according to a new survey conducted by Sophos has revealed deep concern about the robustness of the UK's current d... [more]

A new era for strong authentication

(06/04/2010)

Following the announcement from the UK Ministry of Justice that organisations will be prosecuted under the UK Data Protection Act 1988, Stephen Howes, CEO for GrIDsure, looks at what this means for organisations that store personal data Amendment to the UK Data Protection Act 1988? As many of you will have seen, late last year the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced plans to give the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) new powers to fine organisations for data breaches. One of the ... [more]

How to balance the security need to monitor employees activities whilst respecting their rights to privacy

(10/06/2009)

Privacy is considered a human right in Europe and to this extent organisations have focused on protecting the privacy of their customers’ data. However, there’s a blurring of lines between monitoring employee’s activities to make sure that the organisation is secure, with the employees perception of a 'right to privacy'. To ensure the security of personal data, organisations have grasped the need to manage the people within the organisation by restricting the data they have access to, specif... [more]

SMEs routinely breach the Data Protection Act

(08/06/2009)

According to a survey of over 500 small and medium businesses conducted by BSI, almost one in five businesses has unwittingly breached the Data Protection Act (DPA) at least once. Of these, nearly half said they had breached the Act on several occasions and an additional 18% said they were not sure whether they had or not. A ‘breach’ could refer to the illegal transfer of information to a third party, failure to hold information securely or neglect of other legal obligations. The survey prov... [more]

Protect from identity fraud with a professional information destruction company

(28/03/2008)

As businesses look to clear out confidential records at the end of the financial year, the British Security Industry Association is advising businesses to protect themselves and their customers from identity fraud by using a professional information destruction company. The BSIA has produced a Security Waste Audit that will help businesses assess whether their confidential waste is being disposed of securely. By making sure that you have stringent confidential waste disposal procedures in pla... [more]

Who is responsible for preventing careless data breaches?

(13/12/2007)

Security breaches resulting from lost or stolen laptops can result in serious penalties, including heavy fines or permanent bans from obtaining and holding customer details in the future. This demonstrates the severity of such laxity in the eyes of regulatory bodies. Ineffective security policy enforcement can have a detrimental impact not only on the organisation but also on public confidence in personal data protection and the individuals’ rights to privacy. Stories of ‘yet another IT secu... [more]

 

Other Security news and resources