British data cops: We need greater powers and more money The UK's data privacy watchdog is lobbying for greater powers and funding after reporting a bumper workload. The latest annual report from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) (PDF) reveals that the bureau responded to a record number of data protection and freedom of information complaints in the year to April 2014. …
Yeah, that bit about chasing fuckers down and punishing their failures, that never happens. Doesn't matter what country or government. Did you notice how they were unable to collect over half of the fines they levied? That's not just poor performance, that's abject failure.
It is far, far worse to levy fines and not collect them than to not levy them at all. It's a huge sign on their back that says 'pussy'. Only an idiot (I'm not calling you an idiot) would assess that particular glass as 'half full'. Entities taking risks with the data they oversee look at a 50%+ failure rate as evidence they can take more, and larger, risks. It also encourages those who need to shift budget figures around to become risk takers.
With a more than 50% chance any fines will be greatly reduced, or not collected at all, you're entering the statistical probability territory most often occupied by cats, falling pianos and Catholic abortion doctors. You're going to see call volume rise and prosecution fall as more and more people realize the odds are on their side. Odds will just get better for not getting fined as less and less money is dumped into a hole where half of any potential return is wiped out before the budget is even submitted.
As with most things, money won't fix this problem. It'll just make everything worse. If this were a company I had purchased, or had been sent to correct, I would scuttle the whole thing and rebuild based on avoiding the legal mechanisms that had destroyed revenue from fines. No way in hell I would dump more money into it. It's better to be toothless than to feign prowess at biting, but actually be toothless.
"pussy"
Surely it depends on the reason for non-collection - if you just don't bother to collect then, yes, people you later fine are more likely to not bother paying. But it's different if there are concrete reasons, such as, say, early payment reductions, appeals and impairments.
Data needs cops because without oversight government agencies and private businesses could root through every aspect of your life. Tailoring propaganda and marketing messages to frighten/appeal, specifically, to you. Without data cops you could get on some kind of list, composed by analyzing you and potentially getting you in trouble for something you don't even know you did (Know any brown people or Muslims? How about any Irish?).
Even worse, without data cops, people could get access to your personal info without paying the proper fees or establishing some sort of quango to manage large fee schemes. Would you really deny your MP's those funds? That might get you on a list you know.
Whats missing these days that we had in the old days is crotchety old fogies curtain twitching.
Bring em back, crime will fall.
We dont need committees overseeing committees overseeing committees etc.
Fines, warnings, cops...they aint got shit on Margaret at number 15 who stinks of piss and has 18 cats and is all up in everyones business.
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