ICO and Data Protection Act
Posted on May 25, 2009 by webmaster
We all give our personal information to different organisations to allow us to do everyday things. For example, we give our credit card numbers when we do our internet shopping, we provide our health details to insurance companies and we give personal information in exchange for supermarket loyalty points.
Organisations that hold your personal information must use it fairly, keep it secure, make sure the information is accurate and keep it up to date, and we have the right to expect this from them.
Although the collection and use of personal information has many benefits if it is not handled properly it can cause problems. If personal information is incorrect, inadequate or out of date, it could lead to people being unfairly refused jobs, housing, benefits, credit or a place at college for example.
The Information Commissioner’s Office is the UK’s independent authority set up to promote access to official information and to protect personal information.
All public and private organisations are legally obliged to protect any personal information they hold, and may be required to notify with the ICO. The ICO help you understand these obligations and keep you updated as and when they change.
Full details on the latest Data Protection Act can be found at http://www.ico.gov.uk/Home/what_we_cover/data_protection.aspx
