ASA chief to be next privacy watchdog

Graham will take up post in June

The new head of the privacy watchdog has been confirmed as Christopher Graham, who last week quit as chief executive of the Advertising Standards Authority to prepare for his new role.

Graham will become head of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) from June this year for five years, when the incumbent commissioner Richard Thomas steps down.

Thomas said he welcomed the appointment of his successor.

“The new commissioner will be joining a strong and purposeful ICO with hard-working staff committed to the success of freedom of information and data protection,” he said.

In January this year the Ministry of Justice named Graham as the preferred candidate to take over from Thomas.

As head of the advertising watchdog for nine years, Graham was in charge of a staff of 105 people monitoring complaints, carrying out investigations and running educational events in a similar way to the ICO.

His appointment came as a surprise to some who work in the field of privacy, who had expected someone with a more technical background who had made a name for themselves in industry.

But Peter Sommer, an information security expert at the London School of Economics, said that this was not a fundamental requirement. “It’s not absolutely necessary, provided that there is appropriate technical expertise available to him,” he said.

As commissioner, Thomas lobbied hard for greater powers and funding for his department, scoring a significant victory earlier this year when Gordon Brown announced the ICO would have the power to spot-check government departments without giving them prior notice.

Thomas backed Freedom of Information campaigners’ requests for the government to publish two Gateway Reviews for ID cards, the first such reviews ever to be published. He also insisted that details of MPs’ expenses should be made publicly available.