The Data Protection Act gives individuals the right to know what information is held about them. It provides a framework to ensure that personal information is handled properly.

The Act works in two ways. Firstly, it states that anyone who processes personal information must comply with eight principles, which make sure that personal information is:

1. Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully and, in particular, shall not be processed unless – (a) at least one of the conditions in Schedule 2 is met, and (b) in the case of sensitive personal data, at least one of the conditions in Schedule 3 is also met.
2. Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes.
3. Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose or purposes for which they are processed.
4. Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date.
5. Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.
6. Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects under this Act.
7. Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
8. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data.

The second area covered by the Act provides individuals with important rights, including the right to find out what personal information is held on computer and most paper records.

Castleforce Data Protection Act (DPA) Icons

We have shown the following Data Protection Act icon on the Product and Services pages followed by the specific act principle which relates to the link.  If the Data Protection Act icon is selected on all other pages it is set to come back to this overview page.

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Guide to data protection act

Data Protection Act Gap Analysis Available

We can provide Gap Analysis to help your organisation understand what they need to do in order to comply with the Data Protection Act (DPA).  It's very important to understand where you may be falling short and what steps would be needed in order to comply with the act and our Gap Analysis can be a step in the right direction.