
Directors to Face Personal Liability for Breach of Direct Marketing Laws
The UK Government has just announced plans to introduce laws from Spring 2017 to hold directors of organisations personally liable for breach of electronic direct marketing laws contained within the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) commented that the new law will stop directors “leaving by the back door as the regulator comes through the front door”. What’s changing? At the moment, only organisations are su

ICO Code Demands Increased Transparency in Data Collection
The Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) has issued a code of practice on privacy notices containing valuable guidance on how to comply with the fair processing requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 (“DPA”) when collecting personal data. The code has been issued following an ICO survey, highlighting that only one in four adults trust organisations with their personal data. Where does the code come from? The DPA gives the ICO the power to issue codes of practice c

Schools’ in for the Summer, as FOI Extends to Scottish Grant-Aided and Special Schools
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (“FOISA”) has been extended to grant-aided schools, independent special schools, private prison contractors, children’s secure accommodation providers and Scottish Health Innovations Limited. The “right to know” can now be exercised against these bodies. Who can FOISA be extended to? The Scottish Ministers can designate a body as a Scottish public authority for FOISA if the body carries out public functions or if it provides ser