The Information Commissioner's Office has issued a statement after Burnley firm DEPHER CIC was accused of faking social media posts in a bombshell BBC documentary.
But a BBC investigation released this morning alleges DEPHER CIC 'faked or exaggerated stories of helping people', and that the social enterprise 'used vulnerable people's photos without consent'. Private information of individuals helped by DEPHER was also published in social media posts, which have since been removed from the platform X .
A spokesperson for the ICO said: "All organisations must be clear and transparent with people about how and why they collect and intend to use their data. This ensures people can make a fully informed decision about their personal information and know what they are consenting to. Anyone who has concerns about how their information has been used can complain to us.”
He denied posting the image himself but admitted the post was "not true" and said he apologised to the family, telling the BBC: "That’s not the lady."