The comms team at the Information Commissioner’s Office walked away with the Issues and Reputation Management gong at In.Comms sister publication PRWeek’s awards, held last week, for their handling of a grave data breach by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
When the names, jobs and locations of all 9,483 people working at the Police Service of Northern Ireland were published by mistake, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)’s role was to move quickly to protect the rights of everyone involved.
However the team saw an opportunity to do more than correct what many would see as simply an admin error, albeit a serious one that could potentially have had life-threatening consequences, by highlighting it as a lesson that other organisations could learn from.
The ICO decided to make the most of the extensive media interest surrounding the incident by issuing an advisory note to public authorities within weeks of the breach, which helped to drive traffic towards guidance that would prevent similar errors. The team realised that it was important to communicate the announcement of a £750,000 enforcement action fine as a force for change, rather than a negative act towards a local public service already short of funds.
The idea was to help restore confidence and give reassurance to those affected by the data breach, but not to downplay the harrowing impact on the lives of those affected. It was important too not to prejudice the Office's own investigation in any way, and also to be sensitive towards Northern Ireland’s own complex history and religious and political sensitivities.
Overall, the advisory note led to 218 positive mentions of the ICO in the press. As a direct result it was seen as a positive force that championed those most affected, even in the midst of a story rich in fear and mistrust. And as well as ensuring that the Police Service of Northern Ireland changed its policies, procedures and training so the same thing would not happen again, the team shone a light on it so that other organisations could make the necessary changes to prevent a similar disaster befalling them.
According to PRWeek’s judging panel it was: “A robust response to a very sensitive issue that was acted on quickly
and thoroughly, resulting in some positive outcomes.”
The PRWeek Awards are sponsored by Censuswide, Ketchum, Loaded Dice Media, Onclusive, OnePoll, PR Newswire and Real Chemistry.