Today vast amounts of personal data are being shared and transferred around the world instantaneously as the mechanisms and opportunities to retrieve these different types of data are evolving quite fast. Unauthorised and careless processing of data is making it increasingly difficult for people to maintain control of their personal information. It may also cause great harm to individuals and to companies. Data protection refers to practices, safeguards, and rules to protect personal information. Data Protection ensures that each person remains in control of his personal information. Basically each person should be able to decide whether or not he wants to share his personal information. This means that he decides who can access his personal information, for how long and for what reason.
Data protection and Information privacy laws prohibit the disclosure or misuse of information about private individuals. Records kept on an individual must be accurate and up to date. Data Protection laws are developed to control how personal or customer information is used by government bodies and other organisations.
