What happened
The Information Commissioner's Office confirmed (reported 23 September 2026) that it will formally become the Information Commission on 30 September 2026, per the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 — shifting from a single Commissioner to a board-led corporate structure with collective decision-making, plus a separate non-executive Chair and CEO. UK GDPR and DPA 2018 functions continue unchanged; new statutory information-sharing duties roll out from the same date.
Why it matters
The ICO is the UK's lead regulator for AI and automated decision-making (including the forthcoming statutory AI Code of Practice under SI 2026 No. 425). The structural change alters how AI-related data-protection and automated-decision enforcement decisions are made, and firms must update all references to the regulator in privacy/compliance documentation.
Action needed
UK-based organisations should update privacy notices, data-protection policies and vendor documentation that name the 'ICO' to the 'Information Commission' on/after 30 September 2026.