Company director details
At Companies House, we noticed there had been more complaints to the contact centre from users who did not realise their data was on a public record. There was an increase in complaints when we made the data free to access, as more users were able to see it.
I created some guidance to help explain what happens with user data when they sign up to be a director of a company.
After
Analysis
I created this guidance to help users understand why we take the data we do, and how much of it is publicly available.
I explained some of the terminology they'd see if they looked for their own data on the Companies House Service. I told users the difference between a 'service address' and a 'service address', as in some cases it would reassure them. We knew that some users did not realise they currently had a service address set up, which was often the address of their accountant.
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If users did not have a service address set up, I also gave them alternative suggestions, like using their office address, or companies that offer that service.
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I ended with advice on why these regulations are needed. Users often did not realise the implications of setting up a limited company, so this gave them an explanation as to why other users can see that data.