The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has always recommended encrypting any files or portable media containing personal data. The ICO has now written a short blog post on how encryption works and some of the available encryption options.
Encryption of files and hardware is necessary for compliance with the seventh data protection principle, that essentially requires data controllers to keep personal data safe and secure. Encryption is something that we often get asked about and the ICO’s blog post is a handy introduction to the hows and whys of this commonly misunderstood form of security.