ICO at 40 exhibition and the tale of the 1980s aerated shoes fine

An article in The Guardian reports on the exhibition curated by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at Manchester Central Library, showcasing 40 items that illustrate the evolution of data protection over the last 40 years. The exhibition aims to demonstrate the real-world implications of data processing on people's everyday lives.

Information Commissioner John Edwards emphasised that the exhibition humanises data protection, making it relatable to the public. Items on display, also viewable online, include a Pokémon toy, a floppy disk, a Tesco Clubcard, a modem, a millennium bug pamphlet, a football shirt, and a Covid vaccination card.

In a statement by the ICO, Commissioner Edwards said: "Data protection isn’t about processes or planning, spreadsheets or systems. Data protection is personal. Our information represents us - our lives, our stories, our relationships.   

"Whether it’s the details you share with your doctor, your bank, your gym - we all have information we expect to be kept private. Forty years ago, that expectation was set out in law. Today, the ICO continues to uphold that law, offer advice, push for change and stand-up during scandals."   

The Guardian article also reveals Edwards' favourite exhibit, a pair of spiked lawn aerator shoes, representing an early ICO enforcement action in the 1980s against a company that profited from selling customer data. "They were fined quite significantly for their exploitative marketing techniques," Edwards said.

Or were they? A LinkedIn post by data protection expert Tim Turner refutes this narrative and claims to have raised it with the ICO when the digital exhibition was announced towards the end of 2024.

"When the digital version of the exhibition was launched, the entry for the lawn shoes was incorrect, claiming that this was the first fine issued by the Commissioner. The ICO didn't get fining powers until an amendment in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, and didn't use them until November 2010.

"I wrote about this mistake at the original digital launch and made an FOI request to see what I could unearth. The ICO acknowledged the mistake to me and changed the digital exhibit."

Editors note, we contacted the ICO to ask about the discrepancy, who responded to say that they have reached out to The Guardian to request a correction.