The Guardian reports today that the insurance firm Zurich lost the data of
51,000 customers last year.
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/oct/22/zurich-loses-personal-details)
While it says there is no evidence that the data has been used to anyone's
detriment, the company has offered the affected customers free identity
theft protection and free protection registration with CIFAS.
How much did that cost them, then? £15 a head? £20? Around £1 million,
then.
Instead of arbitrary financial penalties (which go to the state) all you
need is a simple amendment to the Act saying that any Data Controller
responsible for data that gets lost has to pay for the reassurance that
Zurich has provided. That should concentrate minds.
Paul Ticher
0116 273 8191
22 Stoughton Drive North, Leicester LE5 5UB
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
All archives of messages are stored permanently and are
available to the world wide web community at large at
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/data-protection.html
If you wish to leave this list please send the command
leave data-protection to [log in to unmask]
All user commands can be found at http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/help/commandref.htm
Any queries about sending or receiving messages please send to the list owner
[log in to unmask]
Full help Desk - please email [log in to unmask] describing your needs
To receive these emails in HTML format send the command:
SET data-protection HTML to [log in to unmask]
(all commands go to [log in to unmask] not the list please)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|