The Privacy Dividend

Today the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) announced the publication of its report on the business case for investing in proactive privacy protection, which it is launching at the Data Protection Officer Conference in Manchester.

The aim of the research and report defined in the tendering brief was to create a soundly argued business case for expending money on privacy friendly systems and business processes. John Leach of John Leach Information Security Ltd and myself working for Watson Hall Ltd submitted a proposal to undertake the project for the ICO. We were awarded the contract in August 2009.

We began the project by producing a public discussion document and initiated conversations with a number of experts. Our research was complemented by interviews with a cross-section of data processors and discussions held with an expert panel. We were particularly concerned about producing a report that would be relevant across all UK business sectors and size of organisation. Our draft report was reviewed by a small number of senior business leaders, and modified based on their experience and knowledge of justifying investments and practical experiences of implementing privacy protection measures.

The result? Well I'd like your opinions after reading the report. The Privacy Dividend is comprised of two volumes:

• Volume 1 - The Business Case (20 pages)
• Volume 2 - Supporting Materials (71 pages)

I hope you find "The Privacy Dividend" a useful resource. Additional updates and references are included on the Business Case for Investing in Proactive Privacy Protection project microsite.