Blaser Mills
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Data Protection & Privacy

Businesses still in the dark about compliance

According to research conducted by YouGov, nearly one in four small businesses in the UK are either unsure whether they are compliant with the Data Protection Act, or actually believe they are not … ten years after the legislation came into force.

In our first issue, we warned that businesses face a fine of up to £5000 for non-compliance, yet the research shows that many small businesses still do not understand the legislation. For instance, nearly a third fail to realise that the Act covers paper as well as electronic documents and more than half do not know that they have to provide individuals with information held about them within 40 days of a request.

It would seem that the Government has failed to provide effective advice and, with those running small businesses under many pressures, it is not surprising that many have fallen through the net. So, here are some key tips:

  • Know exactly where your data is and make sure it is correctly filed
  • Always fulfil requests for data
  • Train your staff in how to handle data
  • Make sure you have adequate data security
  • Be clear with people you market to about how you manage their information

    • Directors also need to consider the use of websites such as Facebook and other social networks that remain a hot topic from a data protection and privacy perspective. However, sites such as these have been used in both positive and negative ways for supporting recruitment and also in dismissing workers.

    Should you use it? What are the rules, if any, governing the boundaries between the right to privacy and the legitimate protection of your business?