UK Government Ups Privacy Game, Says ICO
The U.K. government is getting its data protection house in order, Information Commissioner John Edwards said in a statement Monday as authorities released an 11-point information security and privacy plan.
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Among the plan's points is the creation of a central, coordinated approach for managing cross-government data protection accountability and compliance, and assembling a dedicated team to adopt consistent standards and respond quickly to risks, Edwards said.
The ICO and government are working on a memorandum of understanding that will explain how the two will cooperate to ensure that government ambitions to use new technologies to transform public services and drive economic growth are achieved with appropriate safeguards in place, Edwards said.
"This is a single step forward, but it is a crucial one," he wrote. It's now up to the government to carry through on its promises so the public can be confident that sharing their personal information will be handled responsibly, he added.
The plan followed from a letter Edwards wrote to the Cabinet Office over the summer insisting that the government "go further and faster" to ensure that it and the wider public sector boost their privacy practices.