Your Personal Data needs protecting

Privacy International

EU Directive on Data Protection

Views of EU citizens © European Communities, 1995-2003

Views of EU companies © European Communities, 1995-2003

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Comprehensive Laws
In many countries around the world, there is a general law that governs the collection, use and dissemination of personal information by both the public and private sectors.   An ombudsman then ensures compliance. 

The BBC revision guide gives a nice summary of what is meant by Personal data in this context. What is personal data?

This is the preferred model for most countries adopting data protection laws. It was the approach adopted by the European Union (EU) to ensure compliance with its data protection regime.  

The UK legislation is based on the EU Directive 95/46/EC, which you can also take a look at by clicking on the link to the left.  

In the UK, the ombudsman is known as the Information Commissioner and their web site gives you a lot of information about Data Protection. It is http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk. Take a look at his web site and notice it covers more than just Data Protection. But that is another lesson.

Self-Regulation
Data protection can also be achieved, at least in theory, through various forms of self-regulation, in which companies and industry bodies establish codes of practice and engage in self-policing.  In the US this model is followed, and an organisation called Truste is helping companies to police themselves and promote good practice to build trust with Internet users.