Businesses and public service organisations will be bracing themselves for a flurry of enquiries after consumers were urged to check up on the amount of personal information held about them.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said that consumers should exercise their rights under the Data Protection Act to help limit any information on them that was available.

Research carried out by the regulatory body revealed that 95% of people considered their personal information valuable, although many were not asserting their rights and so potentially putting that information at risk.

Almost half of Britons (44%) said they had never considered approaching an organisation to find out what personal information it held, and almost as many (40%) admitted they would pass on their details to a company even if they had no assurances it was trustworthy.

David Smith, deputy commissioner of the ICO, said: "It is time for more people to stand up and use the rights they have under the Data Protection Act.

"The more people that use their rights to check what information is held about them, the stronger the signal to organisations that the mismanagement of people's personal details will not be tolerated."

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