V3.co.uk readers call on ICO to hand out more fines

Nearly three-quarters of V3.co.uk readers believe that the information commissioner needs to get tougher on firms that break the Data Protection Act (DPA), arguing that the watchdog needs to hand out more fines as a deterrent.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks after revelations that it has fined just four organisations in the year since it gained the power to levy financial penalties of up to £500,000.

Given the 600 or so companies that have notified the ICO of a DPA infraction during that time, this amounts to less than one per cent, the fines totaling just £310,000.

The latest V3.co.uk reader poll asked what the ICO must do to prevent data breaches in the future, and 72 per cent said that four fines in the past year is simply not enough.

A further 11 per cent said that the ICO should hit organisations with larger fines, while just seven per cent thought that the watchdog's actions so far have been proportionate and effective.

However, speaking at the Infosecurity Europe event in London last week, deputy information commissioner David Smith defended the watchdog's record, saying that its actions have been proportionate to the seriousness of the breaches so far.

"We are happy with the enforcement actions we've taken," he said.

New EU laws being brought in at the end of May will require ISPs and telecoms providers to notify the ICO and customers in the event of a serious data breach, but 10 per cent of V3.co.uk readers argued that US-style mandatory notifications across the board would be more effective.

In fact, the ICO's Smith noted during his keynote that the private sector is "less open, willing and keen to tell us about the breaches they've had".