Data Protection ' ICO Publishes Top 10 Tips For Innovators

• Published date: 16 March 2021
• Subject Matter: Privacy, Data Protection, Privacy Protection
• Law Firm: Cleaver Fulton Rankin
• Author: Ms Aisling Byrne

In November 2018 the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) set up the Regulators' Business Innovation Privacy Hub (the Innovation Hub) to collaborate with other regulators, offering data protection expertise to innovative businesses. On 28 August 2020, the ICO published a Project Report, which includes the ICO's top 10 tips for use by any sector involved in innovation as follows:

1. Data protection is good for business. Building data protection principles into your business is an advantage in the marketplace, encouraging customer confidence and lowering your risk of enforcement action.

2. Data protection will remain relevant, even as technology advances. Placing data subject's rights at the centre of product development makes upholding them easier.

3. Education is key. If you intend to process personal data, you must be aware of your obligations under the legislation. Guidance and information produced by the ICO is a good starting point.

4. Take a 'data protection by design and default' approach. To save yourself headaches further down the line, data protection compliance should be built into your product from the start.

5. Carry out a DPIA. If you are looking to process personal data in innovative ways or use a new technology, a Data Protection Impact Assessment might be obligatory. If you identify a high risk that you cannot mitigate, you'll need to consult with the ICO prior to starting your intended processing. And even if it isn't legally required, a thorough DPIA can be a great way to identify and address risks associated with your product.

6. Decide what you are doing with data. Clearly frame the problem you are trying to solve, work out your lawful basis for processing and only then decide what personal data - if any - you need to collect. Never hold data 'just in case'.

7. Open it up - and lock it down. New technologies open up fantastic opportunities for consumers through data sharing and data portability. But you...