What is the Data Protection Act (DPA)?

The DPA law was passed in 1998, marking a big step forward in the way information about people is legally used and handled. The main purpose of the legislation was to protect individuals against misuse or abuse of information about them. This prevents companies, bodies or businesses selling or passing on information about their customers and staff.

Why was it introduced?

Databases are easily accessed, searched and edited and with more and more organisations (including schools) storing information on computers to store and process personal information. With this comes the likelihood of this information ending up in the wrong hands, which is exactly why the DPA was introduced.

What is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?

To put it simply, the GDPR is a new data protection regulation designed to strengthen and unify the safety and security of all data held within an organisation (including schools, academies and other educational establishments).

"The GDPR replaces the DPA and affects all UK companies who collect or process personal information. It's focused on looking after the privacy and rights of the individual, and based on the premise that consumers and data subjects should have knowledge of what data is held about them and how it's used."

Steve Sands, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Data Protection Officer (DPO) at Synectics Solutions.

The 6 Principles of the GDPR

Article 5 of the GDPR requires that personal data shall be:

(a) Processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to individuals;

(b) Collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes; further processing for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes shall not be considered to be incompatible with the initial purposes;

(c) Adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed;

(d) Accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date; every reasonable step must be taken to ensure that personal data that are inaccurate, having regard to the purposes for which they are processed, are erased or rectified without delay;

(e) Kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed; personal data may be stored for longer periods insofar as the personal data will be processed solely for archiving purposes or statistical purposes subject to implementation of the appropriate technical and organisational measures required by the GDPR in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of individuals;

(f) Processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage, using appropriate technical or organisational measures.

Article 5(2) requires that:

"the controller shall be responsible for, and be able to demonstrate, compliance with the principles."