Data Protection conference
Data Protection
The Information Commissioner’s Office is hosting a conference on 6 November in Dundee, to bring together data protection practitioners to identify and share best practice in security.
For more information or to register your interest in attending, email by 24 October or phone: 0131 225 6341.
More on Data Protection.
If your group handles or stores (processes) personal data you are a “data controller”.
Charities, unincorporated associations, community groups, and companies limited by guarantee can all be “data controllers” if they are processing personal data.
Processing Personal Data
Processing is widely defined and includes the gathering, exchanging, storage or handling of information, whether on computer databases or paper. Under data protection law, individuals have a right to prevent you from processing information about them, especially for direct marketing. Every data controller who is processing personal data must notify the Information Commissioner unless they are exempt. Failure to do so is a criminal offence. There is an annual fee of £35 for notification.
Some not-for-profit organisations may be exempt if their processing of personal data is confined to establishing or maintaining a membership database and / or providing or administering activities for existing, past or prospective members or people who have regular contact with the organisation. Even data controllers exempt from notification are not exempt from all other aspects of the Data Protection Act. More information on exemption
All “Data Controllers” must comply with the Data Protection Act. Although some not-for-profit organisations are exempt from notification, your group (its trustees or board of directors) will still need to comply with other aspects of the Data Protection Act.
Find out if your group needs to notify the Information Commissioner
NEW Community Councils in Scotland are being reminded that they need notify the Information Commissioner
What is personal data?
Any information about individual, identifiable, living people, e.g. their names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses etc. is personal data. This includes staff and volunteer records, membership lists, mailing lists, lists of donors etc. Remember that the rules apply whether this information is held on computer, on paper (perhaps awaiting input into a computer database) or in printed files.
Further Help with Data Protection
Information Commissioner: http://www.ico.gov.uk
Phone 01625 545745
Notification Helpline 01625 545740 Email
The Information Commissioner’s Office website has a useful training checklist for small and medium sized businesses and other organisations
Free Data Protection DVD
The Information Commissioner’s office has recently developed a free Interactive DVD to help raise understanding of Data Protection requirements. ‘The lights are on’ DVD highlights common misconceptions about Data Protection and explains the eight principles of the Data Protection Act.
The DVD (and other materials) can be ordered online from:
https://www.ico.gov.uk/tools_and_resources/request_publications.aspx