Data Protection in Systems Design.

The Data Protection Commissioner, Elizabeth France, has launched a project on the development of guidance in systems design.

The aim of the project is to provide the Commissioner with the draft of a guide for systems designers. It would set out why they should, and how they could, incorporate features in the systems they design which will assist the users of those systems to meet their obligations under data protection law. The guide would encourage systems designers to take account of data protection considerations when designing systems, and provide them with practical guidance on how to do so. The Data Protection Commissioner has invited anyone interested in undertaking this work to put forward their proposals saying: "We recognise the important role systems' design can play in delivering privacy protection. Good security has an important part to play but we are sure systems design can contribute much more widely to meeting data protection standards.

"The guide should help system designers to meet the data protection specifications of their clients. It should also encourage them to raise pro-actively the question of data protection standards and the protection of privacy, and to propose solutions whenever systems which will process personal data are being commissioned."

The Commissioner continued, "We are looking for someone who can demonstrate the ability to produce a piece of work that will be seen as relevant, informed and of practical value to systems designers." Copies of the brief for the project are available on the Commissioner's website

www.dataprotection.gov.uk

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