Data Protection Act

From the minute you're born, people start recording information about you - like the time you were born, how much you weighed...

Think how many people are holding information about you right now - your doctor, dentist, school, building society, book or music clubs you belong to...

The Data Protection Act is designed to make sure that this information is gathered and used fairly, whether it's kept on paper or on a computer system. Suppose some of the information is wrong, is confused with someone else's, or is revealed to someone it shouldn't be? That's why we have a Data Protection Act.

Under the Act, there are eight principles of good information handling practice.