Do you know your data protection rights?

12.30.20pm GMT Fri 26th Jan 2007

Sarah highlights data protection issues ahead of Data Protection Day, Sunday 28th January

London's Liberal Democrat Euro-MP Baroness Sarah Ludford is urging all Londoners to use this Sunday's Data Protection Day to make sure they are up to speed on their data protection rights.

Sarah, who is a member of the European Parliament's civil liberties committee and an active campaigner on data protection issues, said:

"There are around 260,000 registered databases in the UK and on average we all appear on about 700 of them. The amount of personal data private companies and government agencies collect about us is quite staggering."

"'Dataveillance' - using credit card, mobile phone and loyalty card information, and CCTV - is particularly prevalent in Britain. For example, it is estimated that a Londoner going about his or her business on any given day will be monitored by around 300 CCTV cameras."

A study by Privacy International last November ranked Britain in the top five 'surveillance societies' worldwide, worse than any other EU country, and surpassed only by Singapore, Russia, Malaysia and China.

Sarah added:

"I am concerned that most people don't realise that we have rights too. For example, under the Data Protection Act, we each have the right to find out what personal information is held about us."

Notes

For further information on data protection in the UK see the website of the Information Commissioner's Office at http://www.ico.gov.uk/Home/what_we_cover/data_protection.aspx

Sarah Ludford's Lib Dem MEP colleague Bill Newton-Dunn has collated information about data protection and individuals' rights on his website at http://www.newton-dunn.com/