The ICO is charged with enforcing and overseeing four important pieces of legislation: the Data Protection Act 1998 , the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications 2003.
We have a wide range of responsibilities and duties, but in essence our work can be summed up in a single sentence. ‘We promote access to official information and protect personal information.’
With this in mind, our website has been written and designed to reflect the ICO’s approach to everything we do. Accessible, approachable, friendly and always ready to help, it’s also authoritative and constantly up-dated with the latest news and views.
Members of the public have a dedicated area where they can find out how to protect their personal information and gain access to official information. There are also a number of topic specific guides. These cover credit, education, health, housing and spam and junk mail. All the necessary contact details can be found quickly and easily, and the complaints procedure is fully explained.
Organisations also have their own area. This provides full details about the four areas of legislation we oversee, a comprehensive library of good practice notes and our thoughts on CCTV, employment, marketing and starting a new business.
The site also features a comprehensive range of online utilities and features. The register of data controllers allows individuals to find out what personal data is being processed by a particular controller, or notify us if you are a data controller. The Decision Notices area uses an advanced search engine to search for notices using a wide variety of criteria.
An e-newsletter and e-alerts service gives users the opportunity to keep up to date with current developments or receive news of additions to the site, while the document library contains brochures, leaflets, factsheets, reports and more.
The site also provides a full glossary to the terms and phrases we use, and users can use a dedicated order form to request any of the free briefing notes, training materials, CDs and DVDs we produce. And as a simple way to keep up to date with the latest news from the ICO, there are three RSS feeds on the site.
But is doesn’t stop there – the new ICO website is a mine of further information about some of the most important areas of UK legislation. And we’re always happy to listen to your thoughts and comments. Our helpline is on 01625 545745, or you can complete the online enquiry form.