Data Protection
What is data protection?
Data protection laws protect your privacy and ensure that your personal data is processed fairly and lawfully.
Personal data is information that can identify you such as your name and address. It can also cover other information the Council may hold about you such as library records or social care information.
Why does the Council hold information about me?
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, East Sussex County Council is a data controller registered with the Information Commissioner. This means we may collect and process information about you so that we can:
- provide you with services you require
- maintain records of services we provide.
We have to keep your personal data safe and secure. We do not share it with anybody else without your knowledge, unless we are required by law to do so. An example of this is the Electoral Register which the law says must be available to the public.
How can I access information about me?
If you would like to see information you think we hold about you, please complete a 'Subject Access Request Form' (below) and send it to us with two pieces of identification and a fee of £10.
Depending on the sensitivity of the data being released, we may ask for further documentation such as a passport or photo ID driving licence.
Once we have received your request, identification and fee, we must respond to you within 40 days.
What are my rights?
You have the right to:
- find out what information is held about you
- ask for inaccurate data to be corrected, erased or destroyed. If you believe that inaccurate data has caused you damage or distress, you may be able to claim compensation.
- request that your personal data is not used to send you junk mail
- request that decisions about you are not made solely by an automated process, eg credit scoring on a computer
- request that your data stops being processed, if you believe that the processing will cause you damage or distress.
Sharing data with other organisations
We are required by law to protect the public funds we administer. We may share information with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds, in order to prevent and detect fraud. We folllow a nation code of practice on preventing fraud by matching data with other organisations.
Further information
If you have any questions about getting access to your personal data, contact us about Data Protection.
