THE UNITED KINGDOM DATA PROTECTION LEGAL FRAMEWORK – PART 1
1.0 The United Kingdom legislation governing data protection is the Data protection Act, 1998, (‘DPA 1998’) which flows directly from the EU Directive. 2.0 The DPA 1998 came into effect in March 2000. This Act implements into the domestic law of the UK the EU Directive. 3.0 Having the same standards of data protection across the EU means that personal information may travel freely between the EU Member States. 4.0 The DPA 1998 replaces the Data Protection Act, 1984, and represents a major progression in the law with regard to how personal information or personal data may be treated . [1] 5.0 The DPA 1998 seeks to strike a balance between the rights of individuals and the competing interests of those with legitimate reasons for using personal information. 6.0 It gives individuals certain rights regarding information held about them. 7.0 It places obligations on those who process data (‘data controllers’) while giving rig