The Data Protection Act 2018

Legislation relevant to Computer Science: The Data Protection Act 2018

1.6.1 Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impact

Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impact — Note 3 of 6

What you need to know

The Data Protection Act 2018 governs how organisations can use the personal information of individuals. It protects people's data rights and sets rules for how data must be stored, used, and shared.

What to know

Organisations must: store data securely, use it fairly/lawfully/transparently, not keep it longer than necessary, keep it accurate and up to date.
Individuals have the RIGHT to: be informed how their data is used, request access to data held about them, have their data erased, request that processing stops.

Key terms

Personal Data: Any data that can be used to identify an individual, such as name, address, date of birth, phone number.

Exam technique

Tip:Know both the ORGANISATION'S responsibilities (how they must handle data) AND the INDIVIDUAL'S rights (what they can request).
Mistake:Only listing the organisation's duties. Examiners also want to see the individual's RIGHTS under the act.

Example:DPA applies when — a school publishes students' addresses online, a company shares personal data without permission, a firm stores customer data insecurely, or personal data is sold without consent.

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Practise 1.6.1 questions

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