July 12, 2010
British organisations that regularly use personal information have been told to take heed of new Information Commissioner’s Office advice following the launch of a new Code of Practice.
In an effort to be “straight with consumers”, the ICO has asked all businesses, charities and public bodies to be more transparent with their use of data and inform others about how their details will be utilised.
The Personal Information Online Code of Practice will look to tackle the increased use of internet platforms to store public data, as organisations try to retain consumer confidence in an age of new technologies.
“The benefits of the internet age are clear: the chance to make more contacts, quicker transactions and greater convenience, but there are risks too,” commented the Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham.
"A record of our online activity can reveal our most personal interests. Get privacy right and you will retain the trust and confidence of your customers and users; mislead consumers or collect information you don’t need and you are likely to diminish customer trust and face enforcement action from the ICO.”
With social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, regularly used by organisations to advertise and promote business ideals, Mr Graham pushed a need to “take control by checking their privacy settings” and the “amount of personal details” they post online.
The move comes following the European Union’s criticisms of UK privacy laws. Activities covered by the code include:
Collecting a person’s details through an online application form;
Using cookies or IP addresses to target content at a particular individual;
Using personal data to market goods to deliver public services; and
Using cloud computing facilities to process personal data.
To make sure your organisation stays on the right side of increasing ICO punishments, seek discussions with data experts and legal advisors before posting anything online.
