The press has missed the obvious conundrum: ICO has had a data loss. I
wonder whether it is reportable data loss and who is it reported too. Also,
will the ICO sign an undertaking from himself?
Cheers
Chris
http://www.clickliverpool.com/news/national-news/1214795-police-raid-liverpo
ol-region-home-of-man-due-to-give-evidence-to-leveson-inquiry-.html
Police have raided the Liverpool region home of a former detective who was
involved in an official investigation into use of inquiry agents by the
media.
On Friday, Cheshire police carried-out the early morning visit at a house,
in Widnes, where ex-Special Branch officer Alec Owens lives, and seized
computer records.
It is understood that the police probe into Mr Owens relates to his time as
an investigator working for the Office of the Information Commissioner (ICO)
- a job he took after retirement from uniform.
Mr. Owens, 63, is due to give evidence later this month to the Leveson
Inquiry into he media, but is now himself at the centre of inquiries into
alleged leaking of information to The Independent newspaper.
In the visit to Mr Owens' home Cheshire Police took away a memory stick
containing information obtained during the period he was working for the
ICO.
It was expected that he will be questioned by detectives on Monday after the
information watchdog asked police to investigate possible breaches of data
protection laws.
Mr Owens, quit his ICO post in 2006, and has been critical of failures he
perceived that meant the ICO did not properly investigate the links between
journalists and inquiry agents.
He criticised an ICO decision not to probe the actions of hundreds of
newspaper staff named in 17,000 transactions registered by private detective
Steve Whittamore in 2003.
In 2005 Whittamore was given a two year conditional discharge after he
admitted illegally obtaining confidential information.
The Information Commissioner enforces the Data Protection Act and empowered
to bring prosecutions that can carry heavy fines.
Mr Owens is reported to have described the police raid as a 'fishing
expedition' and added that he had no doubt it was the result of a complaint
by the ICO.
When police visited his home, it is understood that Mr Owens agreed to
surrender a copy of an Operation Motorman file from his computer but
declined to provide the statement he has prepared for Lord Leveson's
inquiry.
He was closely involved in research for Operation Motorman - a 2003
investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office into allegations of
offences under the Data Protection Act by the British press.
Mr Owens has notified Lord Leveson's office about the police raid which he
described to the Independent Newspaper as "a fishing expedition to find out
what I'm going to say".
He has already provided a statement and a copy of the Motorman disk to
Strathclyde Police, who are investigating allegations against the media in
Scotland.
In a statement Cheshire Police said: "Following information received, a
warrant was executed at an address in Widnes. The warrant relates to an
investigation into allegations concerning breaches of the Data Protection
Act 1998."
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