Hilary Clinton has now been cleared of charges despite emails being found with classified information on her personal email. The FBI have said it was careless but not deliberate. However, in a recent case the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) prosecuted an employee for sending sensitive information to a personal email address. The difference is intention.
In this case the employee was forwarding client details including sensitive information, prior to leaving for an alternative job, the intention was to use this data. The ICO fined the employee £300 plus costs but the intention of the ICO to crack down on this type of activity was clear to see.
There have been other recent cases featured with an employee copying Tesco Clubcard information and emailing it to a personal account and a car rental company actually selling data relating to claims.
The Information Commissioner Christopher Graham has already asked for powers to be increased in relation to punishment for those who knowingly and unlawfully obtain data. There is a maximum 2-year sentence listed as part of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 but this has so far not been used. However, the stance of the ICO is quite clear. They intend to crack down on this type of activity and all employers should take precautions and be aware of this in relation to their employees, even if that employee is Hilary Clinton.
If you have concerns over data protection, data management or confidentiality clauses please speak to your HR Advisor, or call 01924 827869.