What is the DPA (Data Protection Act 1998)?
The DPA came into force on 1 March 2000, and was created to protect the privacy of the customer. It is the principal legislation in the UK governing the way in which personal information is handled, and all credit card companies work within its boundaries.
Hot Topics
- Why are the insurance prices on the Internet so low?
- The Internet is undoubtedly the cheapest marketplace to buy insurance. There are two main reasons: -
- How much will the premium be?
- Your premium reflects the level of cover you want and how long you want to be insured for. It also reflects the risk to the Insurance Company that you may make a claim. This risk is conditioned by your age, sex, occupation, health record and life style etc.
- Will your Mortgage Lender charge a fee if you buy your Life Insurance from someone else?
- No! By law mortgage lenders are not allowed to charge a fee if you buy elsewhere.
- What correspondence can you expect to receive after your Application has been submitted?
- It all depends upon what complications arise from the details on your Application.
- Information about The Financial Services Authority
- Who is the Financial Services Authority? (FSA)
The DPA works in two ways. As credit card customer it gives you the right to see a copy of your personal information held by your credit card issuer on payment of a fee. You can challenge it if appropriate and claim compensation in certain circumstances as set out in the Data Protection Act.
Secondly, the DPA imposes certain obligations on those who record and use personal information i.e. your credit card company. They must be open about how the information is used and must comply with the eight data protection principles.
These data protection principles say that personal information must be:
- 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