{"id":3204,"date":"2018-08-03T16:30:50","date_gmt":"2018-08-03T15:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dataleaklawyers.co.uk\/blog\/?p=3204"},"modified":"2018-07-31T16:21:34","modified_gmt":"2018-07-31T15:21:34","slug":"who-is-responsible-for-data-protection-blame-hr-apparently","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dataleaklawyers.co.uk\/blog\/who-is-responsible-for-data-protection-blame-hr-apparently","title":{"rendered":"Who is responsible for data protection? Blame HR, apparently\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to some recent and rather worrying research, the question as to who is responsible for data protection is that it\u2019s a HR problem, some executives say.<\/p>\n

According to a spread of UK executives who were asked about where the responsibilities are in terms of compromised credentials, like stolen or misused passwords, it\u2019s a HR training issue.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s understood that one-fifth of respondents placed the responsibility in the hands of HR departments, with close to a thousand executives questioned. Some respondents also considered compromised credentials and weak passwords as very little risk to the business as well.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Who is responsible for data protection when it comes to compromised credentials? It\u2019s a HR thing\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Is this kind of attitude simply passing the buck? The question as to who is responsible for data protection in an organisation is incredibly important, and it goes above and beyond one person or one department.<\/p>\n

With so many UK businesses still failing to respect cybersecurity<\/strong><\/a>, it\u2019s no wonder there are constantly breaches hitting the news.<\/p>\n

Simply put, everyone within an organisation is responsible for data protection, and although HR training may be a key factor in learning and enforcement, company executives need to take personal responsibility for it as well.<\/p>\n

The Equifax data breach was a classic example<\/strong><\/a> of leaving the responsibly being with just one \u2013 or a small number of \u2013 person(s). The addition of a security patch was somehow forgotten, and this led to a huge breach last year affecting 700,000 UK residents.<\/p>\n

Why do executives need to take personal responsibility for data protection?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If an organisation is responsible for breaching important data protection laws, here\u2019s what they may face:<\/p>\n