The United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) will soon have the ability to levy fines of up to £500,000 for significant breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). The new fines may be imposed when the breach of the DPA is serious in nature, and the breach was deliberate or reckless and likely to cause substantial damage or distress to an individual. The fines are scheduled to come into effect on April 6, 2010.