The Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998

The Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998 gives individuals the right to see the personal information held about them by organisations in the public and private sectors.

Individuals have the right to have inaccurate data corrected or destroyed and to seek compensation for any
damage or distress caused by such inaccuracy.

The Act also regulates how organisations use the personal information supplied to them, and individuals have the right to prevent organisations from using personal information for direct marketing purposes.

Case study

Name: Steve Dommett
Position: Owner
Name of Business: Delta Computer
Industry: Business services

The DPA is a worthwhile piece of legislation but the process of registration is both futile for government and time consuming for business. I do not see how registration assists government other than the revenue they take in initial notification fees and annual renewal fees.

Compulsory registration under the DPA is both wrong in principle and in practice. The vast majority of computer users, although technically their equipment falls within the scope of the Act, actually use this modern equipment for nothing more than filing, typing and calculating. So to expect them to go through the motions of registering – a further administrative burden and cost – is as ridiculous as registering typewriters and filing cabinets would have been.

Of course computers have more potential than old office equipment to be abused. The point is, however, that your average small business running mail shots is unlikely to indulge in criminal activity.

Those individuals or organisations that the act is designed to protect the public against simply won’t register.

The practice of registering is in itself flawed. One has to describe in detail exactly which data one is going to store on a computer system. There is an assumption that this will remain true for some time but in business one is constantly finding the need to store additional types of data to meet some new need in the market.

The eight principles contained within the 1998 act have a place, but what we need is a complete review of how the protection the citizen deserves should have a place in law. A solution, other than the present, highly unsatisfactory requirement to register,is required.