Topwood and the UK Data Protection Act 1998
Many businesses fall within the scope of the Data Protection Act without realising it.
The Data Protection Act sets out the legal regulation of how information is kept and used in the UK. All businesses and organisations that hold personal data are bound by it - they're known as 'data controllers' within the Act. 'Personal data' means any piece of information that can be tied to one particular individual.
Not surprisingly, the Act is quite complex, but at its heart are 8 fundamental principles - this is our summary of them:
- The information you gather and hold must be reasonable - relevant, up to date and not excessive
- You can only use the information for the purposes for which it was gathered
- You can't pass the data to anyone else without consent
- People have the right to be told what information you hold about them
- You can't keep the information for longer than necessary
- Information can't be moved outside Europe without consent (technically, the European Economic Area,which is the EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway)
- You must register your organisation or business with the Information Commissioner
- You're required to look after the data - meaning that you have to take reasonable measures to secure it. This can mean technical things, like lockable storage and computer firewalls; or process measures, such as staff training.
How Topwood can help you
Topwood can help you stay on the right side of the law in 2 key areas:
- making sure you don't keep information for longer you need it - we help you plan your information handling, so that you keep things for as long as you need it and no longer
- looking after data properly - and just as importantly, being able to show that you look after it properly. By letting an expert like Topwood take care of the storage and destruction of your data, you automatically acquire a due 'diligence defence' if anyone ever challenges you under the Act. Let's hope you never need it, but it makes sense to think ahead.