I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

[Skally]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

They said they'd keep me updated, but I've heard nothing yet.

[bluebottle]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

The ICO's investigation officers work very closely with the police (a number of them are ex-police officers). With effect from 6 April 2010, the ICO has the power to impose Financial Penalty Notices (FPNs) on offenders of up to £500,000. Having just looked on the ICO's website, I note that an NHS Trust has been fined £325,000 by the ICO for DPA breaches. If the bailiff company involved is one of the smaller ones, I suspect the fine, if one is imposed, will be in the region of £50,000 - £100,000. If it's one of the bigger ones, who knows, they may cop a fine like the NHS Trust has or hit the jackpot. Whatever happens, the bailiff company will get its backside kicked good and proper.

[Guest]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

I have ust been reading about a similar case over the road, a bailiff firm sent emails in error to a shed load of people with all the information of all the other recipients in the cc box, it was on BBC news.
Course this was leaked to a local paper and the BBC picked it up

D

[ploddertom]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

Have you got a link for it?

[Guest]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

No I was browsing when i picked it up, it was a thread that was started a couple of years ago, i will see if i can retrace my steps

D

[leclerc]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

Have you got a link for it?

yes i have
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7775353.stm

[ploddertom]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

Thanks for putting that up.

[leclerc]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

Thanks for putting that up.

Took me 30 seconds with the basic information on Google albeit I know what I am looking for, lol!

[Guest]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

That's the fella

D

[bluebottle]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

The most likely thing that will happen now that the ICO has possession of the papers is every person whose name appears on the papers will be contacted and checks made to establish if they have suffered any loss or any identity security issues have come to light. Depending on how many people are involved, this can take some time. Once the ICO has a clearer picture of the gravity of the bailiff company's carelessness, a decision will be made as to the eventual disposal of the case.

[Guest]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

I would wager that these types of cases are reported to the ICO all the time, but they never come to light because no one can be bothered to make an official complaint.

It seems the ICO only acts on a complaint from the data subject, unless there is a major public interest issue.

D

[bluebottle]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

I would wager that these types of cases are reported to the ICO all the time, but they never come to light because no one can be bothered to make an official complaint.

It seems the ICO only acts on a complaint from the data subject, unless there is a major public interest issue.

D

In practice, the ICO acts on complaints from data subjects and other sources. In a case involving A4e, an A4e employee's home was broken into and a laptop, containing sensitive information about A4e clients, which was not encrypted, was stolen. Even though, it was A4e that alerted the ICO to the incident, the ICO contacted the clients to check if any detriment had occurred. It's not a very pleasant task to have to tell someone something like that, but it is something that has to be done, even if the person has not, at that stage, made a complaint.

[Guest]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

Hmm

The story about the email addresses states n the last paragraph,

"The spokeswoman at the Information Commissioner's Office said she was not aware of any complaints as yet, but the case could be a potential breach of the Data Protection Act."

This leads me to believe that they will not take disciplinary action unless there is a complaint from the data subject.
I think it may be different if it is in the public interest. but i wonder if this case would have come to light if it had not been leaked to the media.

D

[bluebottle]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

Hmm

The story about the email addresses states n the last paragraph,

"The spokeswoman at the Information Commissioner's Office said she was not aware of any complaints as yet, but the case could be a potential breach of the Data Protection Act."

This leads me to believe that they will not take disciplinary action unless there is a complaint from the data subject.
I think it may be different if it is in the public interest. but i wonder if this case would have come to light if it had not been leaked to the media.

D

In the A4e case, the ICO hit them with either a £40,000 or £60,000 Financial Penalty Notice (FPN) as A4e were found to have been lax in their security of the data involved. Some of A4e's clients were affected.

What action gets taken will depend very much on what the ICO finds when they carry out their investigation into the OP's discovery.

[MIKE770]

Re: I've found paperwork dumped by a bailiff!

Should I say who it is in a public forum? Surely that alone tips them off and I want the first they know about it to be this ICO Swat Team! Kx

could PM Bluebottle