Legislation and ict

The data protection act data is a law designed to protect personal data store on computers or paper filled system. There are eight principles put in place by the Data Protection Act 1998 to make sure that individual’s information is handled properly:

• be fairly and lawfully processed;

• be processed for limited purposes

• be adequate, relevant and not excessive;

• be accurate and kept up-to-date;

• not be kept for longer than is necessary;

• be processed in accordance with data subject's rights;

• be kept secure;

• not be transferred to countries without adequate protection.

The DPA sets up right for people who have kept data about them.

 A Right of Subject Access-A data subject has a right to be supplied by a data controller with the personal data held about him or her. The data controller can charge a fee for this.

A Right of Correction- A data subject may force a data controller to correct any mistakes in the data held about them.

A Right to Prevent Distress- A data subject may prevent the use of information if it would be likely to cause them distress.

A Right to Prevent Direct Marketing- A data subject may stop their data being used in attempts to sell them things.

A Right to Prevent Automatic Decisions- A data subject may specify that they do not want a data user to make "automated" decisions about them where, through points scoring, a computer decides on, for example, a loan application.

A Right of Complaint to the Information Commissioner- A data subject can ask for the use of their personal data to be reviewed by the Information Commissioner who can enforce a ruling using the DPA. The Commissioner may inspect a controller's computers to help in the investigation.

A Right to Compensation- The data subject is entitled to use the law to get compensation for damage caused if personal data about them is inaccurate, lost, or disclosed.

 If someone is on a social networking site and puts their address, name, number, email addresses  and list of hobbies onto their Facebook page the rights of that information has to stay on that page. Facebook cannot pass on their information to other sources. This will prevent the use junk email or any cold calling.