The data watchdog has signalled its intention to clamp down on even the most minor breaches of personal data, after hauling Toshiba over the coals for compromising the details of just 20 customers.
The Information Commissioner’s Office launched an investigation after being informed by a member of the public in September last year that the personal details of individuals registered for an online competition on the Toshiba’s website, were accessible.
These included names, addresses and dates of birth, along with contact information. The ICO’s investigation found that the measures in place at the time of the incident were not sufficient to detect that a Web design error had been made by a third party developer.
ICO head of enforcement Stephen Eckersley said: “It is vital that, as ever-increasing amounts of our personal information are collected online, companies have the necessary safeguards in place to keep this information secure.
“We are pleased that Toshiba Information Systems (UK) have committed to ensuring that any changes to applications on their website are thoroughly tested by both the developer and themselves, in order to keep the personal information they are collecting secure.
“We would urge other UK organisations with interactive websites to make sure they have suitable checks in place before collecting peoples’ details online.”
Toshiba’s commitment to take action to keep the personal data it handle secure includes the introduction of data security testing on relevant Web applications before they are launched.
