BCS offers government advice on data control

The British Computer Society, the self styled voice of the IT industry, has responded to the recent rush of data breaches with some stern advice to the government - improve the legislative environment, or lose the faith of your subjects.
The warning, and corresponding advice, follows a seminar held by the BCS with some of its 64,000 members. As a result of this the body is working on a blueprint to offer the government which could restore public trust in its ability to manage their personal data.

A survey, commissioned by the BCS found that there was a high level of awareness amongst the public about the laws that protect them, ninety per cent out of a sample of just over a thousand were aware of the Data Protection Act for example, but also a lack of belief in the fact that its tenets would be adhered to. Sixty-six per cent of those polled said that their trust in institutions and government departments had decreased in the light of recent, and very highly-publicised data breaches.

Government departments should make data processes much more transparent, and, should be open to scrutiny and interrogation from the subjects to which data relates. Should issues arise, individuals should have a right to redress these, it added.

When data is shared with secondary parties there must be clear boundaries in place, data should not be collected to excessive levels, and should be tagged in some way so that the context in which it has been gathered is clear. Should issues arise, or data be compromised in some way, then the individual could have the right to revoke their consent.

Some input from the Information Commissioner might also be required, the BCS said, explaining that privacy impact assessments, which the IC recently introduced should be made mandatory in the public sector, and be published. Risk assessments, it added, should be carried out on all new systems to avoid unforeseen problems arising at a later date.

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