The United Kingdom Information Commissioner’s Office (UK ICO), the UK regulator of information rights, has issued a consultation document to get feedback from consumers and stakeholders on the role and impact it should adopt in the future. According to the UK ICO, the main challenges to be faced in the coming years are an increasing workload coupled with funding cuts and the introduction of the European Union data protection reform package.

The UK ICO expects that, going forward, systemic problems will be addressed ahead of individual lapses, with investigations being triggered when a series of complaints from individuals are received in relation to a problem. The UK ICO is also eager to coordinate with other data protection authorities and to encourage the use of trust marks, privacy seals or other methods of certification to bolster individuals’ rights.

The UK ICO plans to publish its findings in March 2014, along with its 2014-2017 corporate plan.