ADPO Welcomes the Annual Report of the Data Protection Commissioner

The Association of Data Protection Officers (ADPO) has welcomed the “The Twenty-Third Annual Report of the Data Protection Commissioner 2011” which was released this week. In a year of record complaint numbers, budgetary cuts and reduced resources, ADPO would like to thank the Commissioner for his continued support of this important area and recognise the steps he has taken to highlight the need to defend privacy rights and enforce formal obligations when it comes to data.

The Data Protection Commissioner's office had 1161 complaints registered in 2011 - a record, and up from 783 in 2010. While it is a positive sign that Mr Hawkes said he did not see this as an actual increase in the number of breaches but rather a reflection of a raised awareness of the need to notify his office when such a breach occurred. This record increase was reflected in the massive increase in the legal costs of the Office when compared with 2010.

The Office is severely under-resourced to meet this significant increase in demand on its services, and the Commissioner foresees even more pressure in the coming years, with the proposed deployment of new European DP Regulations (early 2014).

Case studies include issues arising in the Direct Marketing, Public sector and Leisure industries, as well as particular attention being shown to Political parties in a year that included both general and Presidential elections. The publication of the Electronic Communications (ePrivacy Directive) regulations in July 2011 also brought particular focus to those organisations conducting their Direct Marketing campaigns using electronic communications media.

“The right to privacy is a fundamental right, and every organisation in Ireland has a duty to protect that right for both its customers and its employees,” commented Hugh Jones, Data Protection Consultant with ICS. Organisations continually fail to understand that acquiring and storing personal data brings responsibilities under the data protection legislation. That's the core message of our training. By committing to formally training staff in data protection legislation, companies can benefit additionally by enhancing public confidence in the organisation.”

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