The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published guidance relating to the safe disclosure of personal information and how to avoid accidental disclosure, largely through unawareness of hidden functionality in various IT equipment or software. This could be public disclosure (under the Freedom of Information Act or publication on the University’s website) or it could be disclosure via email to a more targeted group of individuals (whether internal or external). Accidental disclosure of personal information in both circumstances could constitute a breach of the Data Protection Act.
While the full guidance is available via the above link, the ICO has produced a quick checklist for reference prior to publishing or sending information to ensure there is no hidden personal information available. It is worth considering these issues whenever handling or disclosing personal information. Microsoft's Document Inspector tool is also a useful way of checking a document for hidden personal data, or other potentially sensitive information, prior to disclosure.
File type |
Considerations |
Spreadsheet e.g. xls(x), ods
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Word processor e.g. doc(x), odt |
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Presentation e.g. ppt(x), odp |
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e.g. mbox, msg |
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Image and video e.g. jpg, avi |
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For any further advice, please email: data-protection@bristol.ac.uk