What is the requirement for informing the Information Commissioner after a data breach?

The requirement for informing the Information Commissioner after a data breach is referred to as breach notification. This is a critical aspect of data protection regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU, which mandates that organizations report certain types of personal data breaches to the relevant supervisory authority, often within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach.

Breach notification serves to ensure that the regulatory authority is aware of the incident and can take necessary steps to protect affected individuals and maintain the integrity of the data protection framework. This notification typically includes the nature of the breach, the categories of personal data affected, the approximate number of individuals impacted, and the measures taken to address the breach.

In contrast, while terms like incident report, compliance alert, and data breach memo may be related to various internal protocols for managing and documenting incidents, they do not specifically denote the legal requirement for notifying the Information Commissioner. Breach notification is formal and must adhere to specific legal standards and time frames, making it distinctly aligned with compliance obligations in data protection laws.