The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched a new, quick and easy-to-use tool to help small organisations and sole traders in the hospitality sector create a bespoke privacy notice and protect people’s information rights.
Under data protection law, every organisation that holds people’s information needs to explain why it holds it and what it does with it. This is so their customers, suppliers, and staff know what will happen to it.
Organisations can provide this information through a privacy notice, which is displayed on its website or included in other communications, to ensure they’re compliant.
In just a few simple steps, the new privacy notice generator can create tailored privacy notices relevant to small organisations in all sectors of the economy.
For example, organisations in the hospitality sector often have people’s information. This can include names, contact and payment details, information from customer service surveys, CCTV footage, or even more sensitive details about medical conditions or allergies. By using the privacy notice generator, they can create an up-to-date privacy notice to let people know what they do with their information.
Faye Spencer, Head of Business Services at the ICO said:
“We’re always looking for ways to make data protection compliance simple and stress-free for smaller organisations, who tend to have less time and fewer resources.
“Our new privacy notice generator does just that. It’s a quick and easy solution that provides organisations, with the support they need, so they can concentrate on what they’re good at, serving the needs of their customers and growing their organisation.”
The tool offers two different types of privacy notice. One for customer and supplier information, which organisations can display on their website or external communications. And another for staff information, for inclusion in welcome packs, policy libraries or other internal channels accessible to staff and volunteers.
Tina McKenzie, Policy Chair, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) added:
“We’re very pleased to have supported the development of this tool, which will allow small businesses to generate tailored privacy notices in far less time and with far less hassle and cost than previously, or to check the robustness of their current notice.”
“Data protection is a vital component of consumer rights, reassuring customers that their personal information won’t be mistreated, and is something small firms are keen to get right. By reducing small businesses’ cost of compliance, and the associated stress, the ICO’s tool should be a big help.”
The ICO is also encouraging those organisations that already have a privacy notice to use the generator to check it’s up to date.
You can find the privacy notice generator on the ICO’s website for small organisations here: ico.org.uk/create-your-own-privacy-notice
