Legal Updates - Royal Veterinary College

Data Protection – Personal Storage Devices – Lost or Stolen Data – Data Protection Act 1998 - Breach

The Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) recently stated that is important for organisations’ data protection policies to “reflect how the modern workforce is using personal devices for work”.

The warning follows the loss of a camera by a member of staff at the Royal Veterinary College, which contained a memory card holding photographs of 6 job applicants. At the time of the data protection breach, the college did not have any guidance in place on the use of personal storage devices to hold personal information relating to work.

As part of the undertaking to the ICO, the college is now required to:

• Put in place adequate data protection training measures for its staff;
• Encrypt portable and mobile devices; and
• Ensure that physical security measures are adequate to prevent unauthorised access to personal data.

Further details on this can be found at the ICO’s website.

How can we help?

RT Coopers can assist your organisation in meeting its obligations under the Data Protection Act. We conduct audits  to determine specific non-compliance. Once these are identified, we would advise you on the remedial measures that should be put in place.

You may contact us by email [email protected]. Visit http://www.rtcoopers.com/practice_dataprotection.php

© RT COOPERS, 2013. This Briefing Note does not provide a comprehensive or complete statement of the law relating to the issues discussed nor does it constitute legal advice. It is intended only to highlight general issues. Specialist legal advice should always be sought in relation to particular circumstances.