New survey highlights worrying lack of guidance from employers on use of personal devices

The survey, carried out by YouGov, reveals that 47% of all UK adults now use their personal smartphone, laptop or tablet computer for work purposes. But less than 3 in 10 who do so are provided with guidance on how their devices should be used in this capacity, raising worrying concerns that people may not understand how to look after the personal information accessed and stored on these devices.

The news comes as the ICO today published guidance explaining some of the risks organisations must consider when allowing personal devices to be used to process work-related personal information. The guidance explains how this approach, commonly known as ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD), can be adopted safely and in a manner that complies with the Data Protection Act.

Simon Rice, Group Manager (Technology), said: “The rise of smartphones and tablet devices means that many of the common daily tasks we would have previously carried out on the office computer can now be worked on remotely. While these changes offer significant benefits to organisations, employers must have adequate controls in place to make sure this information is kept secure.

“The cost of introducing these controls can range from being relatively modest to quite significant, depending on the type of processing being considered, and might even be greater than the initial savings expected. Certainly the sum will pale into insignificance when you consider the reputational damage caused by a serious data breach. This is why organisations must act now.

“Our guidance aims to help organisations develop their own policies by highlighting the issues they must consider. For example, does the organisation know where personal data is being stored at any one time? Do they have measures in place to keep the information accurate and up-to-date? Is there a failsafe system so that the device can be wiped remotely if lost or stolen?”

Today’s guidance from the ICO explains how organisations need to be clear on the types of personal data that can be processed on personal devices and have remote locate and wipe facilities in place so the confidentiality of the data can be maintained in the event of a loss or theft.

Other key recommendations from the guidance can be found below:
· Be clear with staff about which types of personal data may be processed on personal devices and which may not;
· Use a strong password to secure your devices;
· Enable encryption to store data on the device securely;
· Ensure that access to the device is locked or data automatically deleted if an incorrect password is input too many times;
· Use public cloud-based sharing and public backup services, which you have not fully assessed, with extreme caution, if at all;
· Register devices with a remote locate and wipe facility to maintain confidentiality of the data in the event of a loss or theft;
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The YouGov survey shows that email is the most common work activity carried out on a personal device, accounting for 55% of people who use their personal smartphone, laptop, or tablet computer for work purposes. This was followed by 37% who used a personal device to edit work documents and 36% to store work documents. All of these activities are likely to involve the processing of personal information.