The government has published its response to a consultation on the upcoming Data Reform Bill.

The  New Statesman published a story about our fines issued since 2017. We can issue fines under the Data Protection Act 2018, which sets out the obligations for organisations using personal data in the UK, and under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), which sets out the rules around marketing by electronic means, including marketing calls, texts, emails and faxes.

The ICO is an independent regulator and our focus is on supporting organisations to meet their legal requirements. However, in order to uphold information rights for the UK public, it is sometimes necessary for us to take appropriate and proportionate regulatory action. In the digital age, the quantity and complexity of cases requiring enforcement action has increased significantly. As the regulator it is essential we keep pace with changing trends and ensure we have the right technical and legal capacity to hold even the largest global organisations to account.

The Opinion received widespread media coverage including the Commissioner being interviewed live on BBC Breakfast News, the Today programme and LBC news channel.

The UK Information Commissioner has called on the criminal justice sector to immediately stop collecting excessive amounts of personal information from victims of rape and serious sexual assault cases.