The ICO exists to empower you through information.

Discussion of data protection issues frequently involves the use of the term ‘harm’. The ICO seeks to improve the understanding of harm in a data protection context.

Why is this important?

Often the problems the ICO faces are the presence of data protection harms. These are harms that arise from non-compliance with data protection legislation. Identifying and understanding the problem is the first step in good policy making and prioritisation.

Work to Date

Our work on data protection harms is ongoing, but to date has included: