We’re big fans of Richard Thomas here at data grub.

Mr Thomas, as any fule kno, is the UK’s Information Commissioner and head of the Information Commissioner’s Office. They’re the independent regulatory office dealing with all sorts of privacy legislation like the Data Protection Act, the Freedom of Information Act and many others too numerable and mind-numbing to mention.
Put succinctly, Mr Thomas and his team are there to prevent the creeping threat of a Big Brother state, and also to stop any attempt by private companies to read our emails, share our data or plant transponders in our brains constantly reminding us that Sud-U-Like Washes Even Whiter.

It’s a pretty thankless task, but one that he and his team have been doing pretty bloody well, at least in my opinion. They’re not afraid to stand up for citizens’ privacy when it’s genuinely threatened by big business or big government, while at the same time ever-ready to slap down spurious, misinformed petitions from bleating, single issue, self-important “privacy experts”. (I think you’ll know whom I’m referring to, Alex...)
So even though the latest utterance to pass the Commissioner’s lips could have come from the Department of Bleeding Obvious, at least it’s being said by someone whose words carry weight.

In a speech yesterday Mr Thomas warned that the proliferation of ever larger centralised databases is increasing the risk of people’s personal data being lost or abused.
He also drew attention to bears’ predilection for sylvan defecation and raised questions about the Pope’s commitment to Islam.

But sometimes you do need to state the obvious, loudly and often. This is one such time.
Because on Tuesday, Jacqui Smith was forced to admit that the Government will soon begin technical work on its giant database of all email, text, phone and web traffic – even though the legislation has yet to be passed by Parliament.

Of course, the present Government is completely contemptuous of Parliament and will go ahead with its plans whatever Richard Thomas, or anyone else, says.

Which is a shame, because much of Mr Thomas’ speech was given over to a report on how reported data losses have soared in the past year. The number of data breaches - including lost laptops and memory sticks containing sensitive personal records - reported to him has risen to 277 since the loss of 25 million child benefit records was disclosed nearly a year ago.

The new figures show that the information commissioner has recently launched investigations into 30 of the most serious cases. The 277 breaches include 80 reported by the private sector, 75 within the NHS and other health bodies, 28 reported by central government, 26 by local authorities and 47 by the rest of the public sector.

Mr Thomas pointed out that as new technology is harnessed to collect vast amounts of personal information, the risks of it being abused increase: "It is time for the penny to drop,” he said. “The more databases that are set up and the more information exchanged from one place to another, the greater the risk of something going wrong.”

"The more you centralise data collection, the greater the risk of multiple records going missing or wrong decisions about real people being made."

It is not difficult to grasp this concept, Jacqui. It is a simple, elegantly expressed and indisputable fact. But why listen to boring old Richard Thomas?

Sir Ken Macdonald, the director of public prosecution (DPP), speaking after Smith’s admission, weighted in to warn that the government was in danger of “breaking the back of freedom” with the relentless pressure of a security state.

But I think Richard Thomas’ point is the stronger – if we can’t trust the government with our private data now, how the hell are we supposed to trust it when it holds details of all electronic communications in the UK?