Data Protection – Will you be fine or fined? By John North, Commercial Department

As there have been numerous press reports about private and public sector organisations being fined for problems with Data Protection, we were recently asked by a client to present a short, practical workshop for its senior managers on the Data Protection Act. Our talk covered the following:

• Overview of the Data Protection principles
• The new fines regime
• Possible issues for all businesses
• The Information Commissioner – powers and actions
• How to protect your business

Amongst the case studies we used to illustrate the potential issues were: misdirected faxes and letters, loss of memory sticks and laptops, the lack of encryption on sensitive data where laptops had been stolen, furniture sold containing files and where papers were found at a recycling centre. We considered both the policy and systems that need to be in place as well as the responsibilities and actions of all employees.

If you would like us to present a similar short session at your business, please get in touch.