Users were warned last week to be wary of paper, closed circuit TV
and call centre recordings, as anything stored could lead to
incrimination under the 1998 Data Protection Act.
James Mullock, a partner in the IT technology and media practice at
law firm Osborne Clarke, said that along with information stored
electronically, the Data Protection Act now included other systems
for holding information including voice recordings, CCTV and,
significantly, paper.
Speaking at a Hewlett-Packard customer meeting, he advised users to
be wary of all paper coming into their organisation that could
potentially identify someone.
CW360 Video
James Mullock discusses the implications
of the 1998 Data Protection Act
Fast loading version
www.cw360.com/f_2001_07_18_lo_jamesmullock.ram
Hi res version
www.cw360.com/f_2001_07_18_hi_jamesmullock.ram
Mullock urged users to, "Consider an [HR] policy to govern what you
write about people." The risk for business, he noted, was that
potentially libellous information could be made available to
someone under the Data Protection Act, which effectively gives
individuals rights to see any information concerning them that an
organisation has kept. "Your disgruntled employee can now read
their assessments," Mullock observed.
To avoid breaking the law, Mullock advised users to put in place an
audit trail for personal information. He said that users should
consider IT to help them keep within the letter of the law.
The third edition of Mullock's book
The Data Protection Act
Explained is due to be published later this year.