Not everyone thinks the ICO made a good decision in the first fines it levied for violation of the Data Protection Act. Jason Stampers writes, in part:
But anyone hoping that the ICO was going to come down hard on such breaches will be dismayed. Since the ICO now has the power to levy fines of up to £500,000, £60,000 seems relatively small beer for the loss of a sensitive laptop.
When the Nationwide admitted to the loss of an unencrypted laptop in November 2006, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) punished it with a fine of £980,000. That despite the Nationwide insisting that the data could not have been used for identity fraud because there were no PIN numbers, passwords or account balances on it.
Read more on NewStatesman.com.