UK companies may need to disclose security breaches

This follows some US states enacting laws forcing the disclosure of personal data security breaches. UK experts called for similar legislation last week after building society Nationwide was hit with a £980 000 fine for a data breach, reports Out-Law.com. Currently the ICO, which is responsible for monitoring compliance with the Data Protection Act, cannot force an organisation to disclose a breach unless it can prove that it is the only way to treat data in a fair manner. Nationwide was fined last week for having inadequate systems and protections for data that came to light after an employee had a laptop stolen from his home. Though the employee told the company about the incident straight away, it is reported that he did not inform Nationwide that customer data was on the machine until after a three-week holiday. Full Out-Law.com report