Data Protection Confidentiality
The Data Protection Act secures certain confidentiality in personal information. The Data Protection Act protects the individual from misuse of their personal information. It gives the individual privacy with respect to processing their personal data. The act states eight principles. They are as follows:
*fairly and lawfully processed
*processed for limited purposes
*adequate, relevant, and not excessive
*accurate
*not kept for longer than is necessary
*processed in line with your rights
*secure
*not transferred to countries without adequate protection
These eight principles are there to give personal data that has been obtained by organizations some confidentiality. Personal data is defined as information about any living individual who can be identified by any information the organization is in possession of. Information such as name, address, phone number, etc. Data like that needs to have a level of confidentiality of course but when you get into sensitive personal data that is another level. Sensitive personal data can be information such as religious beliefs, sexual orientation, ethnic origin and physical or mental health conditions.
Confidentiality is extremely important in the health field, due to the physical or mental health conditions. Medical conditions are of a sensitive nature. A lot of health businesses expect their staff to protect and respect confidentiality. The health staff usually tends to obtain a lot of personal information about patients. The medications they are on, both prescribed and non-prescribed. The type of therapy perhaps needed. These are all issues that demand the strictest of confidentiality from the health staff.
There are a few exemptions when it comes to law enforcement and controlled drugs but other than that confidentiality is required due to the Data Protection Act. There are many bits of information that a lot of individuals would want to keep confidential. Some people are very private and do not want any information gathered about them. The sensitive data is the information that should be kept more confidential. Different business and types of organizations have their own rules based on the Data Protection Act. These rules are in accordance with the Act. Students at universities will perhaps have to fill out documents with many bits of information on them. Most schools will keep this information confidential. Allowing only those individuals that truly need to know this data to see it. It is sometimes used to base decisions about grants and or scholarships on. Confidentiality is mostly granted by the Data Protection Act. By using the Act's rules and regulations organizations can keep themselves out of trouble due to misuse of personal data. As an individual we should feel secure that our records and personal information cannot just get into the hands of anyone.
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