Services for Business
Data protection & Freedom of Information
Our Technology & Outsourcing Group regularly advises on issues related to Data Protection and Freedom of Information.
Data Protection
The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) regime often poses a compliance challenge for many of our clients. However, it also creates an opportunity for organisations to reassess and improve the way they collect and use personal data to maximise the benefits from what is often a key asset.
We assist organisations in implementing data protection compliance programs. We can help organisations comply with the DPA whilst:
- minimising the impact that the DPA has on the way they do business; and
- assisting them maintaining or redesigning critical business practices.
We assist clients across different industry sectors and the public sector in relation to Data Protection, including retail, financial services, technology and the manufacturing sectors.
Our experience is wide ranging and includes:
- developing total compliance solutions, including compliance methodologies, audit questionnaires and data protection policies
- facilitating workshops to educate and train staff
- assisting multinational corporations to continue to obtain maximum benefit from customer data including advising on cross border data flows of information
- advising on issues affecting the Internet and new media industries, including cookies, data aggregation, censorship, encryption and interception.
We also offer specialist back up on any Data Protection matters affecting employers and staff through our Employment Law Team.
Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) came fully into force on 1 January 2005, introducing a new statutory right to publicly held information.
The FOI regime brings many changes for the public sector as well as the private sector. We have been involved in assisting clients to make FOI requests, in advising clients how best to protect information they have provided to the public sector from being disclosed, and in developing internal processes for clients to deal with the requirements of the FOI legislation, both for the public and the private sector.
