The General Data Protection Regulation
This document has been produced by Printcart, www.printcart.com, a website offering technology advice for businesses
Important information:
As every company is different, please seek professional advice when creating your data protection policy. Your business may face circumstances and issues that are not covered by this sample policy.
This data protection policy is made available on an 'as is' basis. Printcart cannot take any responsibility for the consequences of errors or omissions. Any reliance you place on this document will be at your own risk.
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Introduction
Printcart needs to gather and use certain information about individuals.
These can include customers, suppliers, business contacts, employees and other people the organization has a relationship with or may need to contact.
This policy describes how this personal data must be collected, handled and stored to meet the company's data protection standards — and to comply with the law.
Why this policy exists
This data protection policy ensures Printcart:
Complies with data protection law and follow good practice
Protects the rights of staff, customers, and partners
Is open about how it stores and processes individuals' data
Protects itself from the risks of a data breach
Data protection law
The Data Protection Act 1998 describes how organizations — including Printcart— must collect, handle and store personal information.
These rules apply regardless of whether data is stored electronically, on paper or on other materials.
To comply with the law, personal information must be collected and used fairly, stored safely and not disclosed unlawfully.
The Data Protection Act is underpinned by eight important principles. These say that personal data must:
People, risks and responsibilities
Policy scope
This policy applies to:
It applies to all data that the company holds relating to identifiable individuals, even if that information technically falls outside of the Data Protection Act 1998. This can include:
Data protection risks
This policy helps to protect Printcart from some very real data security risks, including:
Responsibilities
Everyone who works for or with Printcart has some responsibility for ensuring data is collected, stored and handled appropriately.
Each team that handles personal data must ensure that it is handled and processed in line with this policy and data protection principles.
However, these people have key areas of responsibility:
The board of directors is ultimately responsible for ensuring that Printcart meets its legal obligations.
The data protection officer is responsible for:
Keeping the board updated about data protection responsibilities, risks, and issues.
Reviewing all data protection procedures and related policies, in line with an agreed schedule.
Arranging data protection training and advice for the people covered by this policy.
Handling data protection questions from staff and anyone else covered by this policy.
Dealing with requests from individuals to see the data Printcart holds about them (also called 'subject access requests').
Checking and approving any contracts or agreements with third parties that may handle the company's sensitive data.
The IT manager is responsible for:
Ensuring all systems, services, and equipment used for storing data meet acceptable security standards.
Performing regular checks and scans to ensure security hardware and software is functioning properly.
Evaluating any third-party services the company is considering using to store or process data. For instance, cloud computing services.
The marketing manager is responsible for:
Approving any data protection statements attached to communications such as emails and letters.
Addressing any data protection queries from journalists or media outlets like newspapers.
Where necessary, working with other staff to ensure marketing initiatives abide by data protection principles.
General staff guidelines
Data storage
These rules describe how and where data should be safely stored. Questions about storing data safely can be directed to the IT manager or data controller.
When data is stored on paper, it should be kept in a secure place where unauthorized people cannot see it.
These guidelines also apply to data that is usually stored electronically but has been printed out for some reason:
When data is stored electronically , it must be protected from unauthorized access, accidental deletion, and malicious hacking attempts:
Data use
Personal data is of no value to Printcart unless the business can make use of it. However, it is when personal data is accessed and used that it can be at the greatest risk of loss, corruption or theft:
Data accuracy
The law requires Printcart to take reasonable steps to ensure data is kept accurate and up to date.
The more important it is that the personal data is accurate, the greater the effort Printcart should put into ensuring its accuracy.
It is the responsibility of all employees who work with data to take reasonable steps to ensure it is kept as accurate and up to date as possible.
Subject access requests
All individuals who are the subject of personal data held by Printcart are entitled to:
If an individual contacts the company requesting this information, this is called a subject access request. Subject access requests from individuals should be made by email, addressed to the data controller at support@Printcart.net. The data controller can supply a standard request form, although individuals do not have to use this.
Individuals will be charged £10 per subject access request. The data controller will aim to provide the relevant data within 14 days.
The data controller will always verify the identity of anyone making a subject access request before handing over any information.
Disclosing data for other reasons
In certain circumstances, the Data Protection Act allows personal data to be disclosed to law enforcement agencies without the consent of the data subject.
Under these circumstances, Printcart will disclose requested data. However, the data controller will ensure the request is legitimate, seeking assistance from the board and from the company's legal advisers where necessary.
Providing information
Printcart aims to ensure that individuals are aware that their data is being processed and that they understand:
To these ends, the company has a privacy statement, setting out how data relating to individuals is used by the company.