ICO fines 'coming this month'

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Information commissioner Christopher Graham has said he will use his fining powers before the end of the month, according to reports.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) confirmed to IT PRO it will fine organisations soon. The body has the power to issue a monetary penalty of up to £500,000.

Speaking at a data security event, Graham said the fining powers, which were handed to the ICO in April, "give the ICO the teeth that many people in the past said it lacked," Kable reported.

He said if HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) had a similar data breach to the case in 2007 when 25 million people’s information was lost, today he would hand out the maximum penalty.

Graham also defended the ICO’s conclusion to the Google investigation, saying the search giant has now made "bankable undertakings."

Google will have its data protection practices audited by the ICO and has been told to sign an undertaking to ensure data protection breaches do not happen again.

Graham claimed the fining powers showed companies like Google the dangers of not complying with the data protection watchdog.

"They can see what happens if they don't go along with what we're submitting."

Yesterday, Graham said Google committed a serious breach of the UK Data Protection Act when it collected personal details during its Street View operation, but did not force Google to pay out.

The ICO came under fire from various privacy groups for not being harsher, with Alex Deane, director of Big Brother Watch, telling IT PRO the "failure to take action [was] disgraceful."

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