When the term “Data Protection”  is mentioned, what is the first thing that comes to mind? There are actually a few different possibilities that could fall under the term, data protection, and it probably would not be a bad idea to know and comprehend these different possibilities as they can vary in completely different ways. Either way, the term data protection does pertain to protecting any data about you that if compromised, could have a severely negative effect on you and anything relating to you. The data being talked about could merely be just important data stored on your computer, or it could be as serious as all kinds of personal information being kept in personal records by your school or government.

Probably the most heard of form of data protection is the protection of data that is being stored on any United Kingdom resident. Residents want to know that this information, sometimes very personal information, is not used in any way that can bring harm to them or anyone around them. Luckily, back in 1984 there was an act put into place that laid a legal foundation in which information can be gathered, stored and shared. This act was known as the Data Protection Act (DPA) and was followed by the Access to Personal Files Act in 1987 that dictated exactly what its name suggested. While these acts did help individuals retain privacy when it came to information stored about them, they are a little outdated and in need of revision; a newer version of the Data Protection Act was created in 1998 that laid out a more specific foundation to help keep information stored on an individual even more private.

Data being stored by the government, schools and other organizations are not the only data you have to worry about. Ever since computers and especially the Internet came into existence a loophole has been created in which hackers, viruses and other malicious threats can obtain or destroy any personal information that you may have stored on your computer(s). Hackers can easily obtain any data you have stored in your computers simply by performing a few of their devious hacks, and then viruses can completely crash your computer and any personal data you have. One can protect themselves from these malicious threats by installing the latest firewalls and security software to help catch and fix any problem that may come into contact with your computer.

Regardless of where your personal information is stored, you want to be sure that it is safe; whether it is stored by different legal organizations or simply stored away by you on your personal computer. The Data Protection Act has been implemented to help protect any information gathered by different organizations safe and secure. The data stored on your computer can be protected simply by installing the latest security features. No matter what, your personal information should always be kept private.