The lost list
A help desk worker leaves a USB stick on a train. On it is a list of 2,000 customers: names, home addresses and phone numbers.
Nobody has done anything bad on purpose. But strangers may now have the list. Is this a problem for the company? The law says yes.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can explain what data protection law is for and name its main principles.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Personal data | information about a living person who can be named or found | a name, an address, a photo |
| Data subject | the person the data is about | |
| GDPR | the General Data Protection Regulation, the rules on personal data | |
| Data controller | the organisation that decides how personal data is used | |
| Principle | a main rule that other rules follow from | |
| Breach | when personal data is lost, stolen or seen by the wrong people | |
| ICO | the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK body that checks the law is followed |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Starter: last lesson
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Starter: last lesson
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
The law protects people, not companies
In the UK, two laws work together: the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Their purpose is to protect personal data and the rights of the data subject.
A company may use your data. But it must be fair, careful and honest about it. You have rights to see your data, to correct it, and in some cases to have it deleted.
Who does what
| Who | What they do | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Data subject | Owns the rights over the data about them | A customer on the help desk list |
| Data controller | Decides why and how the data is used and must follow the law | The company that keeps the list |
| ICO | Checks the law is followed, gives advice and can fine | Told within 72 hours of a serious breach |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check
Have a go
Check
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.