01 Dec 2009

ICO taking action on data loss

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has announced plans to take serious actions against companies which do not adequately guard against data loss.

Head of the ICO Christopher Graham has called for prison sentences for those individuals found guilty of stealing data, a punishment which he feels would help stem the tide of future data loss incidents.

Mr Graham made his remarks following the introduction of new legislation - due to come into force next April - which will allow the ICO to issue fines of up to £500,000 for companies that "recklessly" participate in the loss of private information.

He commented: "Loss of data equates to loss of trust and it should be a board issue and not something you leave to the IT guys. Some people are learning the hard way."

Elsewhere, software developer IBM recently published a white paper outlining a number of steps firms can take to boost business continuity in the event of data loss.