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The meeting, which took place at 10 Downing Street, covered Thomas' stated desire for prison sentences to be introduced for data protection offences.

Thomas revealed that the meeting had taken place to an audience of direct marketers this morning. He told delegates at the Direct Marketing Association's annual data protection conference that he was "very confident" that prison sentences will be introduced.

Thomas said: "Things have changed. No longer is privacy protection seen as a tedious and bureaucratic issue. Yesterday I spent 20 minutes with the Prime Minister discussing why data protection must be moved up the government's agenda."

Thomas said the Information Commissioner's Office had received "colossal support" for his call, made in January after several high-profile data protection breaches, to create a new criminal offence that will financially punish those who knowingly breach the Data Protection Act.

The proposal to give the ICO more teeth has already had the backing of a group of MPs. In a report released by the House of Commons Justice Committee in January, the MPs called for quick changes in the law to give the ICO increased powers, such as carrying out spot checks unannounced.

Issues surrounding data sharing in the form of personalised advertising on the net are another focus of the ICO's attention, Thomas told delegates.

Research conducted by the ICO in 2007, asking consumers what they regarded as the most serious matters of social importance, revealed that protecting personal details was second only to preventing crime. It was regarded as a greater concern than the NHS, education, national security and equal rights.

Consumer concerns include passing details to unknown organisations, lack of information security, unwanted marketing and inaccurate information, as well as requesting too much information.

Direct marketers must plan ahead about how they intend to use customer information and must be as transparent as possible, Thomas said. "The larger the small print, and the more upfront the better."

Consumers "want to know who's got their information and why". In the marketing environment consent is hugely important, the Information Commissioner said, adding that "we need to stop the cowboys out there".