The Data Protection Act originated in the United Kingdom. In summary, this Data Protection Act from the UK imparts a legal foundation in regards to an individual’s privacy and protection of data. The Data Protection Act has restrictions on organizations which could potentially collect data that can identify an individual who is alive. This Data Protection Act does not apply to personal use such as address books of a private individual.

You may wonder, “So how does the Data Protection Act affect me?” The answer is that any information collected on you must be used for a specific purpose and can only be held for a certain length of time. In addition, your information cannot be released to other parties unless consent was given by you personally or via government intervention like a court order.

Because of the intricacy of this Act, you might want to pull an easy guide to the Data Protection Act off the internet or submit a request to the Office of the Information Commissioner if you are in the UK.

This Act had a few amendments such as the Data Protection Act of 1998. In summary, it expounded on the 1984 version which added a governing body called the Data Protection Registrar who is supposed to ensure the compliance of the Act. In 1998, ii was expounded on further and renamed the Registrar position to a Data Protection Commissioner position.

There were eight basic principles established with summarized the heart of the Data Protection Act and they are:

1. Personal data should be kept personal and in adherence to the original stated nature.
2. Personal data can only be collected for a lawful or specific purpose and cannot be used elsewhere.
3. Additional personal data cannot be collected unless it fits within the lawful or specific guidelines as presented in the Act.
4. Personal data shall be maintained for accuracy and no outdated information should be kept.
5. Personal data can only be kept for as long as the Act specifically states or is necessary.
6. Personal data must be treated in agreement with the individual’s rights as stated in the Act.
7. It is the responsibility of the data collector to protect personal data; unauthorized use shall be prohibited and punishable by law.
8. Transference of personal data is not allowed outside the European Union unless the destination country can provide the same level of protection of personal data and uphold the rights of the individual in accordance with the Data Protection Act.