What is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)?

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is an independent authority, set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, and to promote openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals. While the ICO does not award compensation, it does have the power to impose hefty fines on organisations in breach of their duties.

You have the right to ask the ICO to assess if an organisation breached the Data Protection Act.

If the ICO believes that the organisation in question broke the law, you can use this information in court to help prove your claim. However, the judge may not agree with the ICO’s view. While you can make a compensation claim against a company without first going to the ICO, we would always recommend this as a first step.

Under the GDPR, organisations MUST tell you if they have breached your personal data. But despite this, too often people still don’t know that their data has been breached until they hear that a company has been fined by the ICO. In such cases, it’s worth finding out whether your data was put at risk, because, if so, you may have a claim for compensation.

If you have already contacted the ICO about a potential breach, Hayes Connor Solicitors can still investigate your claim. We will work with the ICO to gather as much evidence as possible to help our clients succeed.