A formed Nuneaton and Bedworth District Council officer, in charge of building control services, was fined nearly two thousand pounds by the ICO for accessing confidential local authority recruitment data and emailing it to his partner via a free to use email account.

The former officer, Kevin Bunsell, was trying to ‘help’ his partner who was applying to the council for a job. Bunsell accessed confidential recruitment information before emailing them to himself and his partner’s free email accounts.

The ICO’s response to the case:

“People who supply their personal information to an organisation in good faith, such as when applying for a job, have a legal right to expect it will be treated lawfully and ethically.

Not respecting people’s legal right to privacy can have serious consequences, as this case demonstrates. Not only might you face a prosecution and fine, along with the attendant publicity, but you may also lose your job and severely damage your future career prospects.”