The Da a P o ec ion Ac 1998 (" he DPA") is a piece o UK legisla ion designed o s ike a balance
be ween he in e es s o he indi idual in main aining p i acy o e hei pe sonal de ails and he possibly
compe ing in e es s o hose wi h legi ima e easons o using o he people's pe sonal in o ma ion.The
DPA places obliga ions on people and o ganisa ions ha p ocess pe sonal da a and in addi ion gi es
indi iduals ce ain posi i e igh s in ela ion o da a pe aining o hem. Amongs o he hings, indi iduals
may eques access o such da a and he da a con olle ( he e m used in he DPA o desc ibe he pe son
who de e mines he pu pose o which da a is p ocessed) is obliged o espond o his eques wi hin 40
calenda days.
The ela ionship be ween da a p o ec ion and digi al cu a ion is mu ually bene icial.In one espec ,
obus digi al cu a ion p ac ices oge he wi h good eco ds managemen play an impo an pa in
ensu ing ha he p o isions o he DPA can be me . F om he o he pe spec i e, knowledge o he DPA is
impo an o someone engaged in cu a ion ac i i y whe e hey a e cu a ing da a ha is co e ed by he
Ac (pe haps hey a e a esea che who uses pe sonal da a in hei esea ch). In such cases, an awa eness
o he cons ain s imposed by he legisla ion and how i impac s he way he da a can be used is c ucial.
Da a P o ec ion
www.dcc.ac.uk
The Da a P o ec ion P inciples
Unde he DPA, anyone p ocessing pe sonal in o ma ion mus comply wi h eigh p inciples o good in o ma ion
handling.The eigh p inciples s a e ha he da a mus be:
1. Fai ly and law ully p ocessed, in pa icula in acco dance wi h ce ain condi ions in he Ac
2. Ob ained only o one o mo e speci ied and law ul pu poses, and shall no be u he p ocessed in any
manne incompa ible wi h ha pu pose o hose pu poses
3. Adequa e, ele an and no excessi e in ela ion o he pu pose o pu poses o which hey a e p ocessed
4. Accu a e and, whe e necessa y, kep up o da e
5. No kep longe han necessa y o he pu pose o pu poses hey a e p ocessed o
6. P ocessed in acco dance wi h he indi idual's igh s unde he DPA
7. Kep secu e by he aking o app op ia e echnical and o ganisa ional measu es agains unau ho ised o
unlaw ul p ocessing and acciden al loss, des uc ion o damage
8. No ans e ed o coun ies ou side he Eu opean Economic A ea, unless he e is adequa e p o ec ion
Bene i s and alue
Knowledge and ins i u ional implemen a ion o he p o isions o he DPA and he eigh p inciples i p esc ibes
has immedia e bene i s:
• Enables compliance wi h obliga ions imposed by he legisla ion and a oids penal ies o non-compliance
• Encou ages good p ac ice and e hical app oach o use o pe sonal da a
• Imp o es e iciency by educing ime/ esou ces equi ed o mee legisla i e obliga ions
• Encou ages good eco ds managemen p ac ices which will ha e bene icial knock-on e ec s h oughou he
o ganisa ion.These include:
• Cu ing cos s by a oiding expensi e da a mining and e ie al p ocedu es
• Imp o ing abili y o espond o subjec access eques s, esul ing in as e esponse ime and mo e
accu a e esponse con en
BRIEFING PAPER Feb ua y 2007
www.dcc.ac.uk
HE/FE Pe spec i e
Da a p o ec ion is o en ini ially conside ed as
an adminis a i e issue, and HE/FE ins i u ions
will ha e an ins i u ional amewo k in place
o ensu e he secu i y o all pe sonal da a
held o adminis a i e easons. I should be
emembe ed ha he DPA also applies o
pe sonal da a used o esea ch, albei wi h
some exemp ions.
"HE and FE ins i u ions should ensu e ha
[...] employees and s uden s a e awa e ha ,
while some exemp ions a e g an ed o he
use o pe sonal da a o esea ch pu poses,
he majo i y o he Da a P o ec ion P inciples
mus s ill be con o med o — he e is no
blanke exemp ion."
—JISC Da a P o ec ion Code o P ac ice o he
HE and FE Sec o s (Janua y 2001)
e-Science
Pe spec i e
"The design and use o ad anced In e ne and
G id echnologies in he social, na u al and
compu e sciences a e likely o econ igu e
no only how esea che s ge and p o ide
da a esou ces and o he in o ma ion bu also
wha hey and he public can access and
know; no only how hey collabo a e, bu
wi h whom hey collabo a e; no only wha
compu e -based se ices hey use, bu om
whom hey ob ain se ices.This econ igu ing
a ec s he p o ision o da a esou ces in
ways ha aise legal, ins i u ional and social
issues such as con iden iali y, p i acy and da a
p o ec ion, owne ship o in ellec ual p ope y
igh s, anonymi y and accoun abili y, and
issues o us , con idence, and isk in
dis ibu ed collabo a ion."
— Ox o d e-Social Science (OeSS) P ojec : E hical,
Legal and Ins i u ional Dynamics o G id-Enabled
e-Sciences (2006)
• The websi e o he In o ma ion Commissione 's O ice (ICO)
[h p://www.in o ma ioncomissione .go .uk/], which is esponsible o
en o cemen o he DPA and p o ides guidance on i s applica ion
• An ICO Da a P o ec ion ac shee [h p://www.ico.go .uk/]
• JISC Da a P o ec ion Code o P ac ice o HE/FE ins i u ions
[h p://www.jisc.ac.uk/publica ions/publica ions/pub_dpacop_0101.aspx]
• The Na ional A chi es, Socie y o A chi is s, and Reco ds Managemen
Socie y Code o P ac ice o A chi is s and Reco ds Manage s
[h p://www.a chi es.o g.uk/publica ions/da ap o ec ion.h ml]
• Public Reco d O ice, Da a P o ec ion Ac 1998:A Guide o Reco ds
Manage s and A chi is s
[h p://www.na ionala chi es.go .uk/documen s/dpguide.pd ]
• Kal a, D e al. Secu i y and con iden iali y app oach o he Clinical E-
Science F amewo k (CLEF) [h p://www.clinical-
escience.o g/indus ial/sep2003/AHM2003-DKal a-CLEF-Secu i y-
Con iden iali y-Pape .pd ], 2003
• A JISCmail-based mailing lis o hose in e es ed in da a p o ec ion
and ela ed opics [da a-p [email p o ec ed]C.UK]
Addi ional
Resou ces
Cu a ion in P ac ice
• Anonymised da a doesn' come unde he DPA. Conside
whe he any pe sonal de ails in da a being cu a ed o
p ese ed add o i s use ulness o could be emo ed.
• Reposi o y adminis a o s should check wi h con ibu o s
whe he hei deposi s con ain pe sonal da a.This could be
co e ed in a deposi ag eemen .
• Resea che s a e exemp ed om he second and i h da a
p o ec ion p inciples.This means ha , subjec o ce ain
condi ions, he u he p ocessing o pe sonal da a o
esea ch pu poses is no o be ega ded as incompa ible wi h
he pu poses o which hey we e o iginally ob ained and
pe sonal da a which a e p ocessed only o esea ch pu poses
may be kep inde ini ely.
• The exemp ions om he second and i h p inciples apply o
' esea ch pu poses'.They do no apply, o example, o lea ning
objec s o eaching ma e ials.
• The obliga ion in he ou h p inciple o keep pe sonal da a up
o da e is quali ied by he wo ds "whe e necessa y".This is o
bene i whe e i is use ul o keep he da a as i was a a
ce ain poin o his o ical/e iden ial/a chi al easons.
• Excep in limi ed ci cums ances a da a con olle mus make a
no i ica ion o he In o ma ion Commissione which shall
include he ca ego ies o da a hey hold and he pu poses o
which hey p ocess hem. I is wo h no ing ha a special
pu pose desc ip ion (ou wi h he s anda d ca ego ies) has
been app o ed o a chi es. Unde his desc ip ion, all a chi es
held by an o ganisa ion can be no i ied, including hose
con aining sensi i e pe sonal da a.
