DPA - Definitions

• Personal Data: data relating to a living individual who can be identified either from the data or from the data in conjunction with other information in the possession of the data controller.

• Data subject: person who is the subject of personal data.

• Data Controller: person who controls contents and use of personal data.

• Data Processing: automatic logical operations on data including extraction of constituent data.

• Data: information in a form which can be processed.

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The terms used in the Act itself are quite specific.

These definitions aren’t verbatim - they’ve been paraphrased. The legalese is a bit overpowering in the original.

Definition of data is quite loose. The implication is that is should be capable of automated processing. HDD, FDD, network file store, CDROM. Not paper, microfilm or other not readily put through automated processing.