The Information Commissioner enforces and oversees the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Commissioner is a UK independent supervisory authority reporting directly to the UK parliament and has an international role as well as a national one.
In the UK, the commissioner has a range of duties including the promotion of good information handling and the encouragement of codes of practice for data controllers, that is anyone who decides how and why personal data is processed. Personal data is information about identifiable, living individuals.
The Commissioner can help and advise individuals and data controllers on issues relating to compliance with the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts, the Environmental Information Regulations and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.
Further material is available from the Office of the Information Commissioner.
The Commissioner has issued warning advice about bogus data protection agencies and businesses which charge for notification.