Information Commissioner's Office

The ICO is the UK's independent body set up to uphold information rights. Find out more about our organisation and structure

The ICO's office in Edinburgh provides a local point of contact for members of the public and organisations based in Scotland. As well as operating an advice service to address general enquiries, it promotes good practice in data protection by raising awareness of organisational responsibilities across all sectors. It also influences policy in related areas by working closely with the departments of the Scottish government and the wider public sector.

Scotland has its own Information Commissioner who regulates the Freedom for Information (Scotland) Act which covers Scottish public authorities. Because of this, the main focus of our Scottish office is data protection, for which the ICO is the sole regulatory body in Scotland. However, the ICO does have regulatory power under the Freedom of Information Act for UK public authorities based in Scotland.