ICO to ‘name and shame’ firms

The Information Commissioner’s Office is planning to publish a “hall of shame” to expose the companies it receives the most complaints about, as part of a shake-up of its operations.
One of a number of changes the regulator is proposing in its complaints procedure – which is now open for consultation – the move is designed to reduce its workload in preparation for the onslaught from the looming EU data protection reforms. Commissioner Christopher Graham (pictured) has already warned MPs of a potential funding shortfall of £43m.
The ICO also wants companies to handle more complaints directly with individuals, before it gets involved. Only when the two parties cannot agree will it log the issue as a complaint.
The changes will free up the watchdog to concentrate on serial offenders as well as more serious data breaches.
“We want to focus on those who get things wrong repeatedly, and take action against those who commit serious contraventions of the legislation,” the ICO said. “It is clear to us that when either an individual or an organisation is not sufficiently engaged with, or aware of, their respective information rights and obligations then a complaint or dispute is more likely.
“We want to support both parties to engage with one another clearly about what individuals can expect and what organisations should deliver. This will avoid unnecessary concerns being raised with us and make it much easier for us to identify opportunities to improve information rights practice.”
On its naming and shaming plan, the ICO added: “”In line with our commitment to transparency, we plan to publish the number of concerns raised with us about organisations. This information is already disclosable under freedom of information legislation. Clearly some organisations are likely to generate more concerns than others. We still expect these organisations to work hard to explain their actions in connection with data protection complaints and avoid unnecessary concerns being brought to our attention. We will use our regular reports to add context to the statistics.”
The consultation closes on January 31.

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