In what's being called a landmark case, insurance company Hiscox is on trial for allegedly breaching the 1998 Data Protection Act after it requested a customer’s criminal history before settling a claim involving a 30,000 GBP luxury watch, the Financial Times reports. Such a request was prohibited following legislation that had updated the 1998 Data Protection Act, which should have prevented the company from requesting subject access to the Criminal Records Office for information on previous criminal convictions. Hiscox has denied the charges, and although the defense has yet to testify, lawyers for Hiscox are expected to argue that it was in the public's interest to request such information from the CRO. (Registration may be required to access this story.)
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