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ARTICLE · 14 DECEMBER 2009

Data Protection - More Guidance And New Penalties

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
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The UK data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (the ICO), has recently published a 'plain English' guide to the Data Protection Act.

United KingdomPrivacy
Lawrence Milner
Lawrence Milner

The UK data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (the ICO), has recently published a 'plain English' guide to the Data Protection Act. The ICO's website states that 'the Information Commissioner's Office Demystifies Data Protection' and seeks in this guidance to address some of the common 'myths' of data protection. The guidance refers, for example, to a commonly-held misconception that individuals are not allowed to take photos of children in schools. This is an issue which the ICO has highlighted in the past, although it is not a significant concern for most businesses.

Meanwhile, new higher £500 rates for data protection registration have been imposed for large companies which are required to register their data processing with the ICO. This additional revenue will help fund the ICO's enforcement of the law.

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