DPI-Yay!

Hello! 👋

I am thrilled to announce that ImpactGo has received sign-off from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA). The ICO have confirmed that the I have taken appropriate steps to protect the personal data of beneficiaries, and that a formal review is not required.

Protecting the rights of beneficiaries is the cornerstone of this project. A lot of work has gone into ensuring that the data collected is safe, secure, and that I am transparent about how it is used. I have spent many months researching and designing the service, ensuring that it adheres to the "privacy by design" principles that the ICO promotes, while providing meaningful value to users.

This is a significant milestone for the project and a huge validation of my mission to help the most vulnerable in our society by supporting the services they depend on.

So today I am taking this DPIA out of draft, and publishing the final version. It stands as a formal record of the design of the service, and the measures taken to protect the rights of beneficiaries.

I would also like to express my thanks for the support I have received from Mark Elliot of UKAN and the University of Manchester, who has been very generous with his time and expertise in supporting me with conducting a through analysis of my use of anonymisation techniques. With Mark's support I am very confident that I have designed a robust and comprehensive platform for the safe handling of beneficiary data.

If you want to know more about how ImpactGo safeguards the rights of beneficiaries, you can view the DPIA here.

Take care

-Craig