Government comes under public criticism Data protection claims up 78% in 2001

The Data Protection Office has reported a 78% increase in complaints last year, most of them against the Government, local authorities, marketing and financial services firms.

The 233 complaints received in 2001 range from unwelcome marketing phone calls and ‘mail-shots’, to Europe’s largest cut-price airline publicly identifying passengers’ names on the airwaves.

In the DPO’s annual report, one major financial services firm was criticised for continuing a ‘mail-shot’ campaign despite repeated requests for it to stop, while the legal profession was slammed for a widespread failure to register with the Date Protection Office.

Registration is a legal requirement for any law firm or individual holding sensitive computer data or information.