Communications Technology

Communications Technology

Your Rights and what the Data Protection Commissioner can do to help

Right of Access

The personal information to which you are entitled is that held on

computer or in a manual filing system that facilitates access to

information about you. You can make an access request to any

organisation or any individual who has personal information about you.

For example, you could make an access request to your doctor, your

bank, a credit reference agency, a Government Department dealing with

your affairs, or your employer.

If you find out that information kept about you by someone else is

inaccurate, you have a right to have that information corrected (or

"rectified"). In some circumstances, you may also have the information

erased altogether from the database - for example, if the body keeping

the information has no good reason to hold it (i.e. it is irrelevant

or excessive for the purpose), or if the information has not been

obtained fairly. You can exercise your right of rectification or

erasure simply by writing to the body keeping your data.

In addition, you can request a data controller to block your data i.e.

to prevent it from being used for certain purposes. For example, you

might want your data blocked for research purposes where it held for

other purposes.

If an organisation holds your information for the purposes of direct

marketing (such as direct mailing, or telephone marketing), you have

the right to have your details removed from that database. This right

is useful if you are receiving unwanted "junk mail" or annoying

telephone calls from salespeople. You can exercise this right simply

by writing to the organisation concerned. The organisation must write

back to you within 40 days confirming that they have dealt with your

request.

Right to complain to the Data Protection Commissioner

What happens if someone ignores your access request, or refuses to

correct information about you which is inaccurate? If you are having

difficulty in exercising your rights, or if you feel that any person