How do I find the right advice or guidance on the ICO website?

The ICO website splits its content by audience: individuals and organisations. On the homepage, you'll see two distinct entry points — "See all our advice for individuals" and "See all our guidance for organisations." Pick the one that matches your role, and you'll land in a section written for your situation rather than having to filter through content meant for the other group.

Start with the homepage split

The homepage is deliberately simple. Its main job is to route you to the right audience section. The two links are:

• Advice for individuals — for people dealing with their own personal data, making complaints, or trying to understand their rights.
• Guidance for organisations — for businesses, public bodies, and other data controllers trying to comply with data protection law.

If you're unsure which applies to you, ask one question: are you asking about your own data, or about data you handle on behalf of others? The first is individual advice; the second is organisational guidance.

If you're an individual

Follow the "advice for individuals" link. This section is written for people who are not data protection professionals — it covers your rights and what to do when something goes wrong.

Use it when you want to:

• Understand your rights over your personal data
• Find out how to make a complaint about how an organisation handled your data
• Get practical steps for a specific situation (for example, a company refusing to delete your data)

The language here assumes no legal or technical background, so it's the right starting point before you consider contacting the ICO directly.

If you're an organisation

Follow the "guidance for organisations" link. This section is aimed at data controllers and processors who need to meet their legal obligations.

Use it when you want to:

• Understand what the law requires of your organisation
• Find guidance on specific compliance topics
• Check how to handle data requests, breaches, or other operational duties

This content is more detailed and assumes you're acting in an official capacity, so it's the correct route for compliance work rather than personal queries.

Choosing the right section at a glance

Common sticking points

• Picking the wrong section. If the guidance feels too technical or too basic, you've likely landed in the other audience's content. Go back to the homepage and take the other link.
• Assuming one section covers everything. The split is by who you are, not by topic. A topic like data breaches appears in both, but framed differently depending on your role.
• Skipping the homepage. The two audience links are the fastest route in. Going straight to a search can surface content meant for the other group.

Once you're in the correct section, the content is organised around your role, so you can move to the specific topic you need without second-guessing whether it applies to you.