Data Protection Act 1998 s.1
BASIC POSITION
CAUTION: go to notes on Equality Act 2010/changes made by the Act for changes to discrimination law in effect from 1st October 2010. The unique emplaw EA 2010 cross-reference tool will locate new statutory references for you.
Data Protection Act 1998 s.1(1) provides that:
"'data controller' means, subject to subsection (4), a person who (either alone or jointly or in common with other persons) determines the purposes for which and the manner in which any personal data are, or are to be, processed.
Sub-section (4) provides that "Where personal data are processed only for purposes for which they are required by or under any enactment to be processed, the person on whom the obligation to process the data is imposed by or under that enactment is for the purposes of this Act the data controller."
The Information Commissioner's Office Technical Guidance Notes webpages are an essential source of practical information on all aspects of data protection.
See notes generally at Data protection .
FINISH>
updated June2009