Data Protection - it's just getting harder!

In a news item today (23rd March 2009) from the BBC it identified that a recent report has claimed a quarter of all government databases are illegal and should be scrapped or redesigned. The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust says the UK's "database state" wastes billions from the public purse and often breaches human rights laws.

But the government says the report contains "no substantive evidence" on which to base its conclusions. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said the government was "never losing sight" of its obligations under the data protection and human rights acts. "It takes its responsibilities seriously and will consider any concerns carefully, adapting existing safeguards where necessary," he added.

The government spends £16bn a year on databases and plans to spend a further £105bn on information technology (IT) projects over the next five years, according to the trust.

How do PAs feel about the ever increasing weight of data requested and supplied to often unknown sources? Both in business and in their personal life? Does your business have concerns about its own data security and does it have the knowledge to protect its self and its clients and customers?

Gareth