Data Protection—Disobedience
Data Protection Key points § Under the Data Protection Act 1998, employers who store and process personal data about their employees – whether in a computerised, paper-based or other relevant filing system – must ensure that the data in question serves a legitimate purpose; that it is kept under 'lock and key'; and that it is not deliberately or unwittingly disclosed to unauthorised third parties. Employees, for their part, have the right to be informed of the nature and scope of the data held on their personal files, the source of that data ( Who provided it? ), and the names or job titles of the people to whom that data has been or may be disclosed. They have the right also (on payment of a fee of up to £10) to inspect and take copies of most (if not all) of the documents concerning personal data about them that is held in their employers' filing systems. Although the term 'employee' is used throughout this section, it is as well to point out that the 'data