ICO drops News of the Screws probe

The Information Commissioner's Office is dropping an investigation into alleged disappearance of emails at Sunday redtop the News of the World. The data regulator was looking at allegations that emails between senior executives and journalists at the News of the World had been lost while being transported to India. It said it …

[Not Fred31]

Less useful than a chocolate teapot

After all, you can eat a chocolate teapot... its made of chocolate.

[Anonymous Coward]

emails lost in transit?

> The Information Commissioner's Office .. was looking at allegations that emails between senior executives and journalists at the News of the World had been lost while being transported to India ..

Why would they be transfering electronic records by surface mail. Why were they transporting the emails to India. What happened to the originals on the server and on the backup tapes?

> The Metropolitan Police recently reopened its investigation into the tabloid following further revelations regarding methods used by the paper ..

;)

[Anonymous Coward]

ICO

Again, the ICO appears toothless in the face of private sector mistakes. It hasnt always been like that but it does seem to become more common.

Much easier to find a public sector body thousands cos then at least the taxpayer can cover the costs rather than shareholders.

[Oninoshiko]

how sharp sould the teeth be

when they can't find any evidence of wrongdoing?

NotW may be a crap rag, but exactly how do you expect them to provide evidence that emails that don't exist weren't lost? ICO needs to at least prove the emails EXIST.

[Anonymous Coward]

existence

So then any amount of malpractice can exist - all the perp needs to do is deny the files ever existed in the first place, then deny the regulator access to the systems to verify this claim.

I will remember that in future.

I totally agree that if no emails were compromised there should be no fine. The problem is the regulator here has simply accepted the statement from NGN to that effect and given up because its all part of some other investigation apparently showing that the NoTW routinely ignores laws and privacy....

How can that be in the public interest?

[Anonymous Coward]

Eh???

Perhaps I don't understand.

Why would the ICO investigate the disappearance of internal emails at NOTW?

Or their loss in transit to India?

Especially when there's apparently 'no evidence' of anything?

And what does any of the above have to do with the ICO's DPA/PECR remit?

Your's

Confused.

[7mark7]

If anyone want's ...

... to find some of the causes of the slow train wreck that is the UK today, look at Christopher Graham and the ICO as well as Keir Starmer and the CPS.

It does not take many such idiots in high places to totally screw a nation. People just like them regulate the banks ...

[Sam Therapy]

FFS

Toothless, useless, pointless.

And they're the good things about the ICO.