New Data Protection Act in Force

The new Data Protection Act 1998 came into force on 1 March 2000, replacing the old 1984 Act (see Vol.3, Iss.3). It now covers certain manual files and imposes far stricter requirements on of the processing of personal data. Employers that use personal data (that is, information which identifies living individuals) need to ensure that they comply with the eight data protection principles specified in the Act. These require processing to be fair and lawful and impose quality obligations to ensure, for example, that personal data are accurate and kept up-to-date. There is also a restriction on the transfer of personal data to countries outside the European Economic Area unless an adequate level of protection is provided.
It is not difficult to put in place compliance procedures, although you should not underestimate the amount of time this will take to do. Many employers have already started to review their processing in order to comply with the new Act. For those who have not yet done so, the new Act does contain transitional provisions.
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