Tag: ICO

ICO and Federal Communications Commission sign Memorandum of Understanding

Stuart Mitchell

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which formalises their commitment to work together to protect people from unwanted nuisance calls, spam messaging and the misuse of private and sensitive data. Building on the parties’ existing collaboration on electronic marketing and antispam regulation through the Unsolicited Communications Network (UCENet), the MoU sets out how the authorities will enable greater information sharing in areas such as technical developments, intelligence and the exploration of potential solutions to issues such as…

Read More

Information Commissioner’s Office tells platforms to respect information rights when moderating online content

Stuart Mitchell

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is working to support people’s information rights online by ensuring organisations understand their data protection obligations when seeking to make their platforms safer.   Content moderation is commonly used by organisations to analyse content generated by users to check if it’s appropriate for publication on their platforms. This process involves using people’s personal information and can cause harm if incorrect decisions are made.  In the regulator’s first guidance on content moderation, the ICO outlines how data protection law applies to these processes and the impacts they…

Read More

ICO urges all app developers to prioritise privacy

Stuart Mitchell

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is reminding all app developers to ensure they protect users’ privacy, following the regulator’s review of period and fertility apps.  Last year, the ICO looked closely at period and fertility apps to understand how they process personal data and identify whether there is any negative impact on users as a result. The review saw the ICO contact several app providers to find out more about their privacy practices, as well as engaging with app users to understand their experiences.  While no serious compliance issues or…

Read More

ICO warns organisations to proactively make advertising cookies compliant after positive response to November call to action

Stuart Mitchell

Stephen Almond, Executive Director, Regulatory Risk, leads the ICO’s team responsible for anticipating, understanding and shaping the impacts of emerging technology and innovation on people and society: Last November we wrote to 53 of the UK’s top 100 websites, warning that they faced enforcement action if they did not make changes to advertising cookies to comply with data protection law. We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response to our call to action. Of the 53 organisations we contacted, 38 organisations have changed their cookies banners to be compliant and four have…

Read More

New ICO campaign promotes sharing data to safeguard children

Stuart Mitchell

The Information Commissioner’s Office is partnering with education, law enforcement and social service organisations to raise awareness about responsible data sharing to protect children from harm. The data protection regulator has launched a myth-busting campaign called ‘Think. Check. Share.’ which demonstrates how data protection law can help organisations to share personal information when required to safeguard children and young people.  The National Day Nurseries Association, the Early Years Alliance, the College of Policing, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Confederation of School Trusts are among the first organisations to…

Read More