SARs: tool used by Farage can be wielded as weapon against firms

Subject access requests have become standard in work disputes and are increasingly used by public figures

Nigel Farage's claim that his account at the prestigious bank Coutts was closed because of his political values has been bolstered by a report from the bank's reputational risk committee that he obtained via a subject access request (SAR), an increasingly common tool - some would say weapon - used by individuals in dispute with organisations.

SARs, which allow an individual to ask an organisation for copies of any personal information that it holds about them, were introduced under the Data Protection Act 1998. By all accounts, their use has exploded in recent years, with individuals' rights boosted by the GDPR (general data protection regulations), which came into effect in 2018. This stopped organisations being able to charge a fee unless the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive", and reduced the deadline for responding from 40 days to a month.