Personal data is information that identifies you. It can be anything from your name, address or telephone number to where you went to school or the things you buy.
We often need to use information about you in order to provide many of our services. This information can be about customers, our tenants or our staff.
The Data Protection Act (1998) governs how we collect, store, process and share your data.
Any person or organisation that uses personal information is known as a data controller. A data controller must comply with the eight principles of the data protection act. These ensure that personal information is:
- fairly and lawfully processed
- processed for limited purposes
- adequate, relevant and not excessive
- accurate and up to date
- not kept for longer than is necessary
- processed in line with your rights
- secure
- not transferred to other countries without adequate protection
Our data protection policy outlines our commitment to the data protection principles and how we deal with personal information.
We are required by law to share or make available some of the personal information we collect and hold. This information is shared to safeguard public funds and for the prevention and detection of fraud. For more details on this please read the fair processing notice.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) oversees compliance with the data protection act. We have to tell the ICO about what we do with the personal information that we hold and this information is held on a register of data protectors.
We have two entries on this register, one covering the register of electors and another that covers the rest of personal data that we hold. They are available for public inspection either online or at our main reception points in the Guildhall or customer service centre.
The data protection act also gives you the rights to a copy of the information held about you. This is known as a subject access request.
Protecting your personal information
Your personal information is important and you should treat it as you would any other valuable item.
With crimes like identity theft on the rise, it is important to always safeguard your personal information. Criminals can use your personal details to open bank accounts, apply for credit cards and apply for state benefits in your name.
You can take these simple steps to help safeguard your information:
- store any documents carrying any personal details in a safe place
- shed or destroy all documents containing any personal details before throwing them away
- ask the Post Office for advice on secure postage if you have to post any personal documents
- limit the number of documents containing personal details which you carry around on a daily basis.
- check your bank and credit card statements carefully for unfamiliar transactions.
- use different passwords and PINs for different accounts.
- be careful when using public computers to access your personal information.
- check your credit file regularly for any suspicious applications
- always think about who you are giving information to and why they would need it — be cautious!
- protect your home computer with anti-virus, firewall and anti-spam software before going online
- when you move house, redirect all your mail and inform your bank, utilities companies and other organisations of your new address.
More information about how to keep your personal information secure can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website.
