March Project - SARs (not the fake illness)
Hi everyone 👋 Just a quick share on what I am working on over the next couple of months. For March, April and May a large part of my focus will be sending DSARs (Direct Subject Access Requests) to the companies I am dealing with across my different projects — banks, credit card companies, finance firms, and other corporations that hold my data. Under UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, these organisations are legally required to provide all personal data they hold about you when you request it. They have one calendar month to respond. I have already sent a number in the past, and in several cases the companies simply ignored them. So the process I am following now is simple: 1️⃣ Send the DSAR 2️⃣ Send a reminder notice 14 days in 3️⃣ If there is no reply within the statutory period, Final demand (all by email if possible) If they still fail to comply, move to a small claim of £1,000 for failure to comply with a lawful data request The idea is simple — hold them accountable and start hitting them where it actually hurts. It also helps cover the real costs many of us incur: paper, printing, envelopes, and recorded postage. So far this year I have sent 18 DSARs, and this week I will be sending nine follow-ups where the original requests have been ignored. As for the SAR's I get back, well this is proof there is no contract and you learn a lot! 👍 I am using the Willoughby Genius “Pix Busters” software to manage the DSAR process and track the follow-ups. (I use Google Sheets normally) The software was originally designed for dealing with large corporations using cameras and data collection systems and selling our data, (supermarkets, chains, corporate locations etc.), not small family businesses. I use my own SAR template and get AI to write it up for me (before checking it!!), depending on the corporation and situation. I will keep everyone updated on how the claims progress and what results come back. If others in the community want to try this approach as well, feel free to share your experiences and results so we can all learn from it together 👍