Almost one in five UK businesses have breached the Data Protection Act at least once – so found a BSI survey of 500 SME’s recently. That’s worrying news indeed, given that there’s around 5 million small-to-medium sized businesses in GB dealing in all manner of sensitive personal information, ranging from credit card numbers and addresses to ethnic origin and criminal records, on a daily basis.So great to see BSI Group launching the first British Standard designed specifically to promote data management best practice – BS 10012. The Data Protection Act (DPA) is certainly very detailed and a rather intimidating document to the uninitiated, but given BSI’s finding that 65 per cent of SME’s provide nothing in the way of data protection training for their staff, this is a data management ‘best practice’ Everest we’d surely all do well to climb and conquer as quickly and effectively as possible.If you’re interested (and I hope those of you who don’t have adequate data handling policies/strategies in place will be!), BSI is running a conference entitled Information Governance & Data Protection Standards, Guidance and Best Practice from June 30 – July 1. For details, visit www.bsigroup.com/conferences.
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I’m no great Labour fan, but I have to admit I was disappointed to read about Tom Watson’s resignation from Cabinet on June 5th – on Twitter, no less.I don’t think many Brits will be shedding tears over the departure of the likes of Jacqui Smith, Hazel Blears, Caroline Flint and James Purnell from Brown Gordon’s (now rather anaemic-looking) front bench, but Mr Watson’s a rare politician indeed – engaged, tech savvy and articulate on all things data and IT. Tom had been doing a great job championing the importance of information and all things digital within Westminster over the past 18 months – work which I only hope he can continue from the back bench. So kudos, Tom. Hope you indeed can enjoy more quality time with your family while continuing to go the whole nine political yards.
The weather’s too lovely to dwell on grim news, but I’m going to stick my neck out and foreshadow a gathering storm methinks we’re going to hear a lot more about in the autumn.Was intrigued/disturbed to read Andy Kroll’s article Bank bailout: The greatest swindle ever sold about the six ways in which US taxpayers are being scammed by the American government’s US$12 trillion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). It seems the biggest bank bailout in history is rife with flaws – a lack of oversight, endemic overpayments, no coherent plan for returning failing institutions to profitability and perpetuating the Byzantine, overleveraged financial practices which sent the whole system down the crapper to begin with, among them. Given the big, blank cheque that Darling Alastair wrote the City, I have a sneaking suspicion similar shortcomings are going to bite us all in the proverbial on this side of the pond too. Am more than happy to be proven wrong on this one, but…The fat financial lady hasn’t sung the last sorry note on this ongoing saga, that’s for sure.With the Ashes approaching, we Brits can be forgiven for indulging in a spot of light-hearted Aussie bashing (my PR guy’s from Oz and he’s already ducking for cover). So I was bemused to see reports last week that A$14 million of the Australian government’s recent A$900 per taxpayer cash handout designed to stimulate the economy was sent to people who had died. Seems Westminster isn’t alone when it comes to government data handling ***-ups. With all due apologies to the late, great stoner Jerry Garcia, it seems Australia’s the place to be if you want to join the ‘grateful dead’.Have a good weekend, folks.
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Mark Roy
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