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<p>The Government is committed to protecting the privacy and data security rights
of individuals, and does recognise that the potential exists for online personal information
and data to be misused by organisations and agencies, including for discriminatory
purposes. For this reason, stringent safeguards are in place to ensure personal data
is protected and handled appropriately.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Data Protection
Act 1998 and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights impose clear legal
limits on how organisations can record, store, alter, use or disclose personal data.
In addition the Information Commissioners Office, the UK’s independent authority for
upholding information rights, provides advice to citizens, rulings on eligible complaints
and can take action when the law on data privacy is broken.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
</p><p>The Government is also currently working with the Information Economy Council,
business groups, regulators, the third sector, and consumer bodies to develop a framework
of trust and privacy principles for businesses. The framework will be in addition
to existing data protection legislation and is being developed to help create greater
public confidence in how companies use and re-use their personal data.</p><p> </p><p>
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