DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998
BY ME
Why do we need it?
Databases are easily accessed, searched and edited. It’s also far easier to cross reference information stored in two or more databases than if the records were paper-based. The computers on which databases resided were often networked. This allowed for organisation-wide access to databases and offered an easy way to share information with other organisations.
What is its purpose?
The 1998 Data Protection Act was passed by Parliament to control the way information is handled and to give legal rights to people who have information stored about them.
Other European Union countries have passed similar laws as often information is held in more than one country.
How does it work?
The Data Protection Act was developed to give protection and lay down rules about how data about people can be used.
The 1998 Act covers information or data stored on a computer or an organised paper filing system about living people.
The basic way it works is by:
- setting up rules that people have to follow
- having an Information Commissioner to enforce the rules
It does not stop companies storing information about people. It just makes them follow rules.
Misuse and unauthorized access to information
With more and more organisations using computers to store and process personal information there was a danger the information could be misused or get into the wrong hands. A number of concerns arose:
Who could access this information?
How accurate was the information?Could it be easily copied?
Was it possible to store information about a person without the individual’s knowledge or permission?
Was a record kept of any changes made to information?