Data Protection Act UK

What is the data protection act?

The Data Protection Act 1998 was created to protect the rights of individuals. The act is relevant for businesses that manages information about individuals. So obviously it is of significant importance to us.

There are a number of key issues to note. Data must be:

• Processed fairly and lawfully
• Obtained & used only for specified and lawful purposes
• Adequate, relevant and not excessive
• Accurate, and where necessary, kept up to date
• Kept for no longer than necessary
• Processed in accordance with the individual's rights (as defined)
• Kept secure
• Transferred only to countries that offer adequate data protection

How we adhere to the act

The Database Manager purchases data from sources of clean legal data, and processes databases in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

The Mail Preference Service

Any consumer lists that we use are scanned against the Mail Preference Service (MPS). The Mail Preference Service is designed to assist consumers reduce the amount of national non-profit or commercial mail they receive at home.

The Mail Preference Service (MPS) is a consumer service sponsored by The Direct Marketing Association (The DMA). Many of the people who register their preferences have suffered a bereavement, and they simply want to stop future commercial mailings from being sent to the deceased.