Three local councils were found in breach of the Data Protection Act in July after they placed children's sensitive data at risk. None were fined, however.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced a Call for Evidence to garner opinion on whether data protection laws were strong enough and if the ICO had enough power.
Indeed, a Sophos survey indicated many believed data protection laws in the UK were inadequate and needed changing.
In the same month, the ICO launched a new code of practice to advise companies and individuals about what they could do with personal data online.
August 2010
Zurich Insurance's UK branch was fined 2.275 million by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) following the loss of 46,000 customers' data. The fining power of the FSA made the ICO's 500,000 limit look a little weak.
Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust was found in breach of the Data Protection Act after leaving a CD at a bus stop. Worryingly, the CD contained scans of 112 patient records from the Intensive Care Unit of New Cross Hospital's Heart and Lung Unit. No monetary penalty was dished out.
September 2010
The NHS was at it again in September when East & North Hertfordshire NHS Trust lost an unencrypted USB stick containing sensitive data.
