Is your Business registered with the ICO?

How spending £35 can save you £4350

Since 2018 the Information Commissioners Office “ICO” has been issuing penalties up to £4350 to SME’s for failing to register their business on their website. The Data Protection Act was updated in 2018 making it mandatory for any UK trading business of any size which held personal data to register their company name and address confirming adherence to the Act. Any business failing to do this is breaking the law.

ICO now employs over 600 staff full time to identify and penalise offenders, many of whom are publicly named and shamed on the ICO website.

It took me 15 minutes to register my micro business and pay £35. In exchange I was given full guidance on how to protect my data and report breaches by third parties. A fair trade! I’ve since reported third parties who have illegally copied my details from other public websites such as linkedin and trade bodies and tried to sell them. So this system is not just another tax, it actually protects my business. You can then add your registration certificates to your website to prove you trade responsibly eg

https://consult-smp.com/intellectual-property-certificates

You can also access 24/7 free short tuition videos on wider IP protection for business continuity at  https://consult-smp.com/key-services  If you’d like to know more about protecting your data or intellectual property just give me a call on 07973 799153. 

Clive Bonny at Strategic Management Partners