ICO Releases New Privacy Guidelines

Independent UK public body the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has introduced a set of guidelines to help practitioners manage individuals' privacy rights and the risks associated with the use of anonymised data.

The ICO - which reports directly to Parliament and is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice - is an independent regulatory office dealing with the Data Protection Act and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC) Regulations.

The new code contains a framework to enable practitioners to assess the risks surrounding the protection of individuals' data, while also including examples of how successful anonymisation can be achieved and how personal data can be anonymised to help researchers analyse people's purchasing habits.

Christopher Graham (pictured), UK Information Commissioner, states: 'We recognise that anonymised data can have important benefits, increasing the transparency of government and aiding the UK's widely regarded research community. We hope today's guidance helps practitioners to protect privacy and enable the use of data in exciting and innovative ways.'

Separately, the ICO has announced that a consortium led by the University of Manchester, with the University of Southampton, Office for National Statistics and the government's new Open Data Institute (ODI), will run a new UK Anonymisation Network (UKAN). This Network will receive £15k in funding from the ICO over the next two years to enable sharing of good practice related to anonymisation, across the public and private sector.

Web site: www.ico.gov.uk .