Complaints to Data Protection Commissioner up 80 per cent

The number of complaints received by Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon rose by nearly 80 per cent last year, new figures show.

According to the DPC’s annual report for 2017, a total of 2,642 complaints were received last year, up from 1,479 in 2016 — a 79 per cent increase.

The largest single category of complaint was “access rights”, which made up 1,372 (or 52 per cent) of the total.

Ms Dixon said: “The consistent rise in the DPC’s caseload over recent years continued in 2017 and a record number of complaints (2,642) were received and concluded (2,594) by our office.”

The DPC spent much of 2017 raising awareness for the GDPR.

Ms Dixon said: “The GDPR’s focus is on demanding accountability from organisations in how they collect and process personal data.

“The best results for data subjects are secured when organisations of all types deliver on their obligations to be fair and transparent.

“We firmly believe that organisations should see the GDPR as an opportunity rather than a challenge and that those who can demonstrate a true commitment to data protection will be rewarded in the marketplace for their services.”