Data protection 'slackest in the NHS'
01/06/2010 13:52:00
The worst data protection occurs in the NHS, new figures have shown.
More than 1,000 breaches of data have now been reported to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
Some 305 of the 1,007 breaches in data protection were down to the NHS.
The private sector was the second worst offender, accounting for 288 of the breaches.
"We all know that mistakes can happen but, the fact is that human error is behind a high proportion of security breaches that have been reported to us," said deputy commissioner David Smith.
"Extra vigilance is required so that people's personal information does not end up in the wrong hands."
He said that the ICO is committed to working with organisations to ensure data breaches do not occur in the first place and make sure things "are put right when they do go wrong".
The ICO has the power to fine firms that do not adequately protect their data.
Any organisations that either deliberately or inadvertently breach private information could now be subject to fines of up to £500,000 under new rules related to the Data Protection Act.
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