Annual Report 2006/07

1. Information Commissioner’s foreword
2. Your information rights
3. Our year at a glance
4. Protecting your personal information
5. Your right to know
6. Our regional offices
7. Improving our communications
8. Our people
9. ICO infrastructure
10. Corporate governance
11. Prosecutions
12. Accounts

What we do

Promoting public access to official information and protecting your personal information

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent public body set up to promote access to official information and to protect personal information. We enforce the Data Protection Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations and the Environmental Information Regulations, regulating the organisations that come within our remits.

We provide guidance to organisations and individuals to promote awareness of information rights and obligations, ensure compliance with the law and encourage good practice.

We rule on eligible complaints and can take action when the law is broken. The Commissioner, who reports directly to Parliament, has the power to order compliance, using enforcement and decision notices, and prosecution.