Charities are still failing to sufficiently protect personal data, with breaches more than doubling over a six-month period, says Adrian Duffley of HW Fisher.

For charities, the question of how to protect the personal data they collect is an ever more important question.

There were 53 breaches of the Data Protection Act by the not-for-profit sector between October last year and this March, more twice as many as in the same period the previous year - and also more than twice as many as in the preceding six months - according to the latest figures released by the Information Commissioner’s Office.

ICO’s big stick

And for those breaking the law, the cost can be eye-watering. The ICO has a big financial stick – fines can be up to half a million pounds – and it is not afraid of using it.

The list of those who have fallen foul of the law is a roll call of the great and the good. In 2012 the social care charity Norwood was fined £70,000; in 2013, the Nursing and Midwifery Council was hit with a £150,000 fine; and last year, the British Pregnancy Advice Service (BPAS) was fined a massive £200,000.

Even a renowned children’s hospital charity was rapped over the knuckles last year following four incidents involving accidental disclosure of sensitive personal data.