Members of the public and data-privacy professionals have been invited to comment on information security, as part of a government review.
A consultation into how personal information is used and shared in the public and private sectors was launched on 12 December, 2007.
It will be led by information commissioner Richard Thomas and Dr Mark Walport, the director of the Wellcome Trust and a member of the Council for Science and Technology, the government's independent advisory body on science and technology policy issues.
"The review will be concentrating on information sharing," said Thomas. "When do public bodies, in particular, need to make use of personal information held by others to do their job properly? Law enforcement, child protection and more personalised services may be examples. But we will need to assess the dangers if information is shared too freely."
The consultation forms part of an independent review into the use and sharing of personal information announced by prime minister Gordon Brown in October.
It asks how and why information is shared and used and whether the Data Protection Act offers sufficient safeguards. It also looks at the impact IT developments can have on the protection of personal information and whether there are lessons the UK can learn from other countries.
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Commenting on the security breach at HM Revenue and Customs that led to the loss of 25 million child benefit records, Dr Walport said: "The recent loss of millions of peoples' private details serves as a stark illustration of what can happen when this principle is not followed.
"This review will seek to establish when and how personal information should be used, what safeguards should be in place and whether the powers and sanctions available are adequate."
Members of the public, professionals involved in using and sharing personal information, and others with an interest in data sharing and protection are invited to contribute.
In particular, the consultation will seek real-life examples of data sharing, and views on current data-protection legislation and safeguards.
The consultation runs until 15 February, 2008, after which responses will be used as part of the review's final report to the secretary of state for justice, Jack Straw, in the first half of next year.
