Company fined for data protection breach

The Information Commissioner’s Office has fined Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd £250,000 for a serious breach of the Data Protection Act 1998. In April 2011, the Sony Playstation Network Platform was hacked and the attacker was able to access the personal information of millions of customers, including their names, addresses, dates of birth and payment card details.

This checklist highlights the key legal obligations that a business should consider when dealing with personal data about customers, suppliers, employees or any other individual who may be encountered during the course of business.