Housing associations store sensitive information on about eight million people. Hundreds of data breaches have been reported to the Information Commissioner's Office in the last few years due to lost laptops and memory sticks, among other digital media. The only way to avoid similar breaches in the future are clear internal guidelines on who can access what data, and when data can be removed or shared, Duncan Jefferies writes in The Guardian. The article offers tips for social landlords on staying safe when it comes to data protection, including always being open and honest about what tenant data is needed; only collecting and storing the amount of data needed for specific purposes and for only the time period required, and establishing disciplinary measures for those who violate data protection rules.
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