the Data Protection Act
/ðə ˌdeɪtə prəˈtekʃn ækt/, /ðə ˌdɑːtə prəˈtekʃn ækt/
/ðə ˌdeɪtə prəˈtekʃn ækt/, /ðə ˌdætə prəˈtekʃn ækt/
- a British law of 1998 which limits the use of personal information stored in computers. Organizations that keep this kind of information about other people must inform the Information Commissioner's Office. They must make sure that the information is accurate and they may use it only for specific purposes. The law also gives people the right to see most of the information that is kept about them in this way and to have any mistakes corrected. The Act was updated in 2018.