AccessNI Check Explained: Levels, Fees and Eligibility
AccessNI, not the DBS, runs Northern Ireland's criminal record checks. Compare Basic, Standard and Enhanced levels, fees, eligibility and filtering rules.
8 min read
UK Data Privacy
25 articles
Basic DBS Check: Cost, How to Apply & Turnaround (2026)
Basic DBS check explained: £20 from 5 October 2026 (£21.50 until then), self-apply vs employer routes, turnaround times, what it shows, and Scotland/NI equivalents.
8 min read
CCTV, Ring Doorbells & Your Neighbours: UK Law
When home CCTV or a Ring doorbell captures a neighbour's garden or the street, UK GDPR applies. What Fairhurst v Woodard decided and how to stay compliant.
10 min read
Covert Recordings as Evidence in UK Courts: England and Wales
Making a private recording in the UK is usually lawful, but using it as evidence in England and Wales is at the court's discretion in family and civil cases.
10 min read
Criminal Record Check UK: Which System Do You Need?
UK criminal record checks depend on nation: DBS (England & Wales), Disclosure Scotland/PVG, or AccessNI (Northern Ireland). Compare all three systems here.
11 min read
Data Breach Compensation UK: What You Can Actually Claim
Data breach compensation in the UK is claimed through the courts under Article 82 UK GDPR, not paid by the ICO. What Lloyd v Google means for your claim.
9 min read
DBS Check: Levels, Fees, Eligibility & Filtering (UK)
DBS check explained: Basic, Standard, Enhanced and barred-list levels, fees before and after the 5 October 2026 cut, who can apply, and what filtering means for your record.
11 min read
DBS Update Service: £16 Fee, Join Deadlines and How It Works
The DBS Update Service costs £15 a year from 5 October 2026 (£16 until then), free for volunteers. Covers the two join deadlines, renewal rules, employer status checks and refunds.
11 min read
Disclosure Scotland & PVG Scheme: Levels 1 & 2
How Disclosure Scotland's Level 1 and Level 2 checks and the PVG Scheme work, including fees, eligibility and the move to 5-year PVG membership.
11 min read
Enhanced DBS Check: Cost, Eligibility and Self-Employed Route
Enhanced DBS checks cost £41 from 5 October 2026 (£49.50 until then), add police information and barred-list checks, and are role-gated. Covers the 21 January 2026 self-employed route in full.
10 min read
Filming the Police in Public: UK Law Explained
Filming police and photography in public is legal in the UK. What College of Policing guidance, obstruction, and terrorism stop powers actually allow.
11 min read
How Long Does a DBS Check Take? Turnaround Times & Tracking
Gov.uk says a Standard or Enhanced DBS check usually takes around 14 days. See Basic check timeframes, the 5 stages, tracking services, and delay causes.
10 min read
How to Complain to the ICO (Step-by-Step Guide)
How to complain to the ICO about a data protection issue: complain to the organisation first, then the ICO, and what it can and cannot do for you.
12 min read
How to Write a Subject Access Request (Free SAR Template)
How to write a UK subject access request: what to include, a model SAR letter, and a free generator that builds it under Article 15 of the UK GDPR.
9 min read
Is It Illegal to Record Someone in the UK?
Is it illegal to record someone in the UK? No general law bans personal recording, but sharing it, workplace use or harassment can make it unlawful.
8 min read
Nuisance Calls, Spam Texts and the TPS: Your Rights Under PECR
PECR restricts marketing calls, texts and emails, and the free TPS register stops most of them after 28 days, but not scam calls. How to report nuisance calls and the regulator name change.
7 min read
Online Safety Act 2023 Explained: Duties, Fines and Who You Complain To
The Online Safety Act 2023 makes platforms responsible for illegal content and child safety, with fines up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue. What is in force, and who you complain to.
8 min read
Recording Phone Calls in the UK: The Law
Recording phone calls in the UK: lawful for personal use, but business recording, sharing, and intercepting others' calls all carry separate legal duties.
10 min read
Right to Be Forgotten (Right to Erasure) in the UK
How the UK right to be forgotten (Article 17 UK GDPR) works: the grounds for erasure, the exemptions, how to ask, and what to do if refused.
10 min read
RIPA 2000 Explained: UK Surveillance Powers and Safeguards
How RIPA 2000 now governs UK covert surveillance, informants and protected-information notices, alongside IPA interception rules and Scotland’s regime.
10 min read
Spent Convictions in the UK: England, Scotland & NI Rules
How long it takes a conviction to become spent in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and why spent is not the same as filtered.
11 min read
Subject Access Request (SAR): How to Make One in the UK
How to make a subject access request (SAR) under UK GDPR: the one-month deadline, when it is free, and the 2026 DUAA changes explained.
11 min read
UK Data Breach Reporting: The 72-Hour ICO Rule
How UK organisations report a personal data breach to the ICO within 72 hours under UK GDPR Article 33, notify individuals, and log every breach.
12 min read
UK Data Privacy, DBS Checks & Your Rights
UK data protection is UK-wide (UK GDPR, ICO), but criminal-record checks differ: DBS in England and Wales, Disclosure Scotland and PVG, and AccessNI.
5 min read
UK GDPR Explained: Principles, Rights and 2026 Reforms
UK GDPR explained: the data protection principles, lawful bases including recognised legitimate interests, your rights, and the 2026 DUAA changes.
10 min read