Data Protection Act 1984

UK act of Parliament designed to protect individuals who have information about them held on computer. The act obliged organizations holding personal data to register with the Data Protection Registrar and agree to abide by the principles of data protection outlined in the act. These principles include: obtaining and processing data fairly; ensuring accuracy and relevance of information; and taking effective measures to prevent unauthorized access to data. Individuals have the right to be told if a third party holds information about them, obtain a record of that information, and require correction if necessary.

The 1998 Data Protection Act gave employees the right to see their personnel records.