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Civil Service World have published an article by John Edwards, in which he discusses what he’s learned so far from his listening tour, and offers reassurance about the service that the ICO is looking to give to people and businesses.

Mr Edwards recently said:

“In my first three months, I’ve been meeting businesses, central and local government, and civil society groups from across the UK, learning more about what you’re looking for from us at the ICO.

I’ve learned that you’re concerned about the level of change that’s happened over the last few years. You spent 2017 and 2018 preparing for the arrival of GDPR. You spent 2019 adapting to the new law. And the next two years were dominated by the pandemic. 2022 was meant to be an easier year, but instead you are faced with a government promising a shake-up of UK data protection law, and a new information commissioner.

I want to reassure you that my focus is on bringing certainty in what the law requires of you and your organisations, and in how my office acts.”

One thing has already become clear for Mr Edwards since beginning his listening tour: that you want to be heard. The way to do this is by filling in our listening tour survey – we want a range of viewpoints from across the spectrum of people who we regulate and protect.

Fill in the survey here.