ARTICLE · 09 MARCH 2009

Information Commission Cracks Down On Sale Of Confidential Data

MacRoberts

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The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has today announced that a firm which has sold employees confidential data to construction firms has breached the Data Protection Act.

United KingdomPrivacy

Valerie Surgenor

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The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has today announced that a firm which has sold employees confidential data to construction firms has breached the Data Protection Act.

The system which was run by this firm gave opportunities to employers in the construction industry to pay for information on possible employees and effectively vet these possible employees. The information included details such as the individual's name, details of their previous employment and whether they had any involvement in trade unions.

As this confidential information was held without the knowledge of the individuals, this conduct represents a serious breach of the Data Protection Act. An Enforcement Notice was subsequently issued to the offending firm in order to stop them from continuing this illegal activity.

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