Did you know:
- In 2024, staff at the ICO answered 278,637 calls, as well as responding to 65,503 live chat messages.
- People contacted us for a number of reasons, but our most common complaint was regarding nuisance calls – of which we received 44,404! To reduce spam calls, we advocate signing up to the TPS – the UK’s “do not call” list. This year to date, 16,898,518 numbers are now registered.
- We completed 36,049 data protection complaints and 7,448 Freedom of Information complaints.
- We also conducted and completed 179 investigations, taking action where necessary – including issuing fines totaling £1,270,000.
- 55% of people also told us that they’d had their data breached in the past. Whilst 69% of them reported these breaches having a negative impact on their lives, including loss of trust, emotional distress and even financial loss.
This is the year to get your data privacy right. Here are some simple steps to tighten up your security and avoid becoming one of our statistics for 2025.
1. Update your passwords
Although it can be tempting to just use the same memorable password for all your online accounts, using different, more complex passwords makes life harder for cyber criminals.
Updating your passwords to ensure they’re strong and unique by using a series of random words or letters will help stop opportunistic online criminals accessing your online accounts and stealing precious personal information.
You should also avoid using passwords that include personal information that you might have shared publicly, like children’s or pets’ names, significant dates or your favourite sports team.
Watch our video on creating strong passwords to further boost your cyber resilience.
2. Be wary about the details you’re sharing
We increasingly live our lives online – but if you don’t have adequate privacy controls, cyber criminals could end up accessing your personal information.
We’ve learnt that 52% of people feel cautious about the privacy of their personal information. Despite this, a huge 73% of people have shared at least one type of security information with others including log-in details for streaming services, passcodes for phones/tablets and even bank log-in details.
It may seem harmless, but when it comes to sharing details online, you should always proceed with caution and ask yourself, could this information be used for other means? Am I comfortable sharing my information with this person/organisation? What could happen if this falls into the wrong hands?
If you’re concerned with sharing personal information for one reason or another, you can contact us for guidance.
3. Join the TPS and protect your loved ones
It is becoming all too common that criminals are undertaking more sophisticated scams, whether that’s online, over the phone or face to face.
Our ‘Help Gran Stop Spam’ campaign found that people aged over 65, often with dementia, underlying illnesses or memory loss, had been targeted by companies making nuisance calls.
We therefore advocate and encourage people to sign up to the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) – the UK’s ‘do not call’ list. This will help mitigate nuisance calls and further protect your loved ones.
Criminals also often use a technique called ‘phishing’, mostly carried out by email, to hack into your electronic devices and steal your data.
We’d encourage people to take caution when disclosing personal information and opening emails and attachments they don’t recognise.
As always, you can head to our website to find out more about online safety.
