The Data Protection Act

The Data Protection Act protects data that specifically identifies an individual. Such as name, address, date of birth etc. It protects companies from misusing the data.

There are 8 principles of the Data Protection Act:

1) Personal data should be obtained fairly and lawfully - data can only be collected about you where required and you must be told why it is being collected.

2) Data can only be retained for lawful purposes and only be used for the purpose it was collected for, it can't be further processed without the consent from the user.

3) Personal data should be adequate for the purpose but nothing additional should be required if it is not needed.

4) Personal data should always be kept up to date.

5) Data should not be stored for longer then it is required.

6) At any time the data subject can request to see the data being held on them.

7) Data is stored securely to prevent it from being obtained by a third party.

8) If data is sent abroad, this act must apply on the data on this act.


Some organisation are exempt from the data protection act, this is for reasons such as:

  • National Security - If required for the purpose of safeguarding national security, data controllers do not have to disclose the data held to data subjects.

  • Crime - Data which is being held in order to prevent or detect a crime does not have to be disclosed.

  • Taxation - any data collected for taxation purposes is exempt

  • Heath, Education and Social Work - personal data about the physical or mental health of the data subject. You have no automatic right to view your medical records. If a doctor believes that viewing them would harm your mental well being, they can be withheld from you.

  • Schools and examinations - personal data relating to the present or past pupils of a school. Examination scripts and examination marks held by examination authorities

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