1 October 2010
Things you should know if you plan on keeping peoples personal information on your website.

Data Protection

The Data Protection Act is an act of parliament which was first introduced in 1984, its purpose was to control the way organizations collected, stored and used personal information on any one currently living in the United Kingdom. The act is maintained and enforced by The Information Commissioner's Office. The commissioner is not connected to any political party and is appointed by the crown.

The act has eight main principles which must be adhered to, they are as follows:

1. The data must be fairly and lawfully processed.
2. The data must be processed for limited purposes.
3. The data must be adequate, relevant and not excessive.
4. The data must be accurate.
5. The data must not be kept longer than necessary.
6. The data must be processed in accordance with the data subject's rights.
7. The data must be secure.
8. The data must not be transferred to countries without adequate protection

I hope this information helps you with your website.