Amicus Legal Ltd found in breach of the Data Protection Act

Amicus Legal has signed a formal Undertaking from The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) after reporting stolen a laptop containing information relating to 100,000 customers.

The laptop, owned by a private contracted consultant was not encrypted, Amicus Legal, as the data controller, were held responsible and must now undertake reasonable measures to protect personal information in the future.

Salle-Anne Poole, Head of Enforcement & Investigations for the ICO said: “We are investigating a number of the most serious reported data breaches. This case was serious because it involved the data of 100,000 customers, including sensitive information relating to legal advice…..It is vital that personal information is handled properly and in compliance with the Data Protection Act.

“Since November 2007, 161 data security breaches have been reported to the ICO by the private sector. We urge all CEOs and their senior management teams to take personal responsibility for treating data protection as a corporate governance issue affecting the whole organisation. They have to make sure that safeguarding the personal information of customers and staff is embedded in their organisational culture."

This latest breach follows a string of recent actions taken by the ICO, earlier this month Salford Royal NHS Trust reported a desktop computer holding sensitive personal information of around 3500 patients stolen and the Pensions Trust confirmed that an unencrypted laptop containing pension details of 100,000 Britons was stolen. In May Leicester County Council lost information relating to 80 children and Metro3 Staffing and NatAdo Solicitors were prosecuted for offences under the Data Protection Act.

James Owen, Business Development Executive for Trust Innovations said: “These types of stories are becoming more and more frequent. It highlights the importance for businesses to take data security seriously. It is a fact that we are all vulnerable to data loss if the correct systems and procedures are not in place, it is no longer a case of ‘will it happen to us?’ it’s a case of ‘when will it happen to us?’. Trust Innovations have a simple low cost solution to protect valuable data, meaning that it can’t be lost or stolen, your business and clients are protected from becoming the latest victims."

Call Trust Innovations today to discuss how we can help protect your business.

Telephone: 01476 434060
Fax: 01476 576478
Email: info@trustinnovations.co.uk