# Data protection – Manchester conference

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/02/22/data-protection-manchester-conference/
- Published: 2017-02-22T16:15:47+00:00
- Author: Finbar Cullen

**There was a conference in Manchester yesterday. I heard some of the contributions.
It is a shame that the live video froze during each presentation, so I don’t know
the significance of what I missed. The main thing I got was that the regulators 
want to help charities to get it right. We need to be clear about what we can do
and how we can do it.**

It was great to be able to see and hear the first few speakers at the conference.
Martyn Lewis provided the welcome and introductions. He was followed by Elizabeth
Denham, (Information Commissioner), Paula Sussex, (Charity Commission) and Gerald
Oppenheim (Fundraising Regulator). Speakers from The Children’s Society and Rethink
provided details of case studies.

I noted a few points they made, and things started to liven up a little during the
questions to the panel. At the same time it was frustrating that there was not nearly
enough time to thrash things out.

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The text of Elizabeth Denham’s speech and the delegates’ paper are available on 
the [ICO website](https://ico.org.uk/). A video, and other resources will be available
shortly. I think that it was during the Q&As that Elizabeth Denham said that she
had never heard of wealth screening. However, as I recall, the [Researchers in Fundraising](http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/groups/sig-researchers/about-us/)(
RiF) working group on Data Protection guidelines (published in November 2004) asked
to discuss the proposed RiF guidelines with the IOC, to find out if they were on
the right track. The RiF guidelines referred to screening as data mining. Oh how
different things might have been.

The seminars after lunch looked interesting, but they were not made available via
the website. Trustee Responsibility (Charity Commission), New guidance on consent
from the Fundraising Regulator and Fundraising and Regulatory Compliance (ICO) looked
like being the most useful parts of the day. The seminars were repeated after the
afternoon break. When do we get to hear about them?

I tuned in again for the closing session and next steps…  let’s end the day reflecting
on turning a page … does this feel right? If it does, maybe the ICO will say it 
is. Well, that requires some qualification.

So we are turning a page, but much needs to be clarified.

Finbar Cullen, [Research**Plus**](http://www.researchplus.co.uk/)

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