To coincide with the launch, the ICO issued a statement on its website urging information to be shared ‘fairly and without detriment to the individual’.
Under the Data Protection Act, authorities are not prevented from sharing data about business people, but the ICO’s new guidance asks organisations to think carefully before handing out more sensitive information.
The statement read: “Local authorities must recognise that some information held about business people will be more sensitive than other information, for example, information about their earnings.”
Iain Bourne, Head of Data Protection Projects at the ICO, said:
“Sharing information on business people can clearly present benefits to businesses and society generally. We appreciate the need for local authorities to make best use of the information they hold and this guidance will help authorities make sensible judgements about how they use this information.”
The guidance also provides advice to local authorities regarding consent and transparency issues and what to do if a business person objects to their information being shared.
This latest guidance is part of a series published by the ICO to help to explain data protection in simple terms.
