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ARTICLE · 02 DECEMBER 2010

Data Protection Gets Tough With £100,000 Fine For Wrong Fax Number

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The UK Information Commissioner has wielded new powers for the first time to impose fines for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act.

United KingdomPrivacy
Kenneth Mullen
Kenneth Mullen
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The UK Information Commissioner has wielded new powers for the first time to impose fines for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act. Until now, sanctions for breach of UK data protection law were seen as reasonably weak. However, with these decisions, the game has changed significantly. Organisations processing data in the UK will have to ensure that their data security is robust or face fines of up to £500,000.

Background

In April 2010, fines up to £500,000 for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act security requirements were introduced. In these first decisions under the new regime, financial penalties - totalling £160,000 - have been slapped on two organisations for data security breaches under the Data Protection Act potentially causing serious distress or damage.

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