Scottish councils must be more careful with identity

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A complaint against a Scottish council for publishing a signature online has lead the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to call on local authorities to restrict the personal details they publish on the web.

The ICO upheld a complaint against Perth and Kinross council, which published the signature of a member of the public on the internet.

In response to that, Ken Macdonald, the ICO's assistant commissioner for Scotland, wrote to all local authorities in Scotland urging them to take identity theft seriously.

"In an age where the threat of identity theft is increasingly real, individuals must be able to trust organisations to look after their personal information," he said. "Public authorities have a legal obligation to keep residents' personal information secure. In addition, individuals should be informed which elements of their personal information will be published on the internet."

While local authorities must publish some information - such applications for planning or licences - they must ensure they remove personal details such as phone numbers and signatures first, the ICO said, to avoid breaching the Data Protection Act.

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