The Information Commissioner’s Office is asking organisations to have their say on its updated data sharing code of practice.
As required by the Data Protection Act 2018, the ICO has been working on updating its data sharing code, first published in 2011.
The code - currently in a draft form – explains and advises on changes to data protection legislation that are relevant to data sharing.
It addresses many aspects of the new legislation including transparency, lawful bases for processing, the new accountability principle and the requirement to record processing activities.
The draft code also provides good practice for organisations - including local authorities – to help them share data in a compliant and proportionate way.
Steve Wood, ICO’s deputy commissioner for policy, said: 'Data sharing brings many benefits to organisations and individuals, but it needs to be done in compliance with data protection law.
'Our draft data sharing code gives practical advice and guidance on how to share data safely and fairly, and we are encouraging organisations to send us their comments before we launch the final code in the autumn.'
The consultation is available on the ICO website and local authorities can submit their comments by 9 September.
