United Kingdom. Comprehensive data protection. Act
DPA 1984Data Protection Act 1984
Partly verified
Medium confidence.date_in_force is the day appointed under s.42(1) by S.I. 1985/1055 (11 November 1985, per the editorial note on legislation.gov.uk), when registration began. The six-month and two-year periods in s.42 run from that day (about May 1986 and November 1987; National Archives says full effect came in November 1987). The text of S.I. 1985/1055 itself was not readable, so the date rests on the legislation.gov.uk note. The chapter date 12 July 1984 is treated as Royal Assent.
§1Summary
- Synopsis
The UK's first general data protection statute. It regulated the use of automatically processed information relating to individuals and the provision of services in respect of such information. It set up the office of the Data Protection Registrar and a register of data users and computer bureaux. The Act was repealed on 1 March 2000 when the Data Protection Act 1998 came into force.
- Key themes
- Unique features
Limited to automatically processed (computer) data; data users had to register with the Registrar.
- SaaS relevance
Historical only; replaced by the Data Protection Act 1998 (itself replaced by the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018).
§2Obligations
- Breach notification
- None
- DPO
- No
§3Dates
- Key dates
- Adopted
- In force
- Ended
- Royal Assent 12 July 1984; under s.42 no registration applications until a day appointed by order, which S.I. 1985/1055 set as 11 November 1985; sections 5 and 15 did not apply until six months after that day, and certain Registrar powers were restricted for two years after it (to November 1987); repealed 1 March 2000 by the Data Protection Act 1998
§4Text and authority
- Text
- Authoritative text legislation.gov.uk
- Authority
- Data Protection Registrar
§5Where it applies
- Domestic law of
- United Kingdom
§6Sources and verification
- Sources consulted
- Verification
Medium confidence.
Partly verified
Medium confidence.date_in_force is the day appointed under s.42(1) by S.I. 1985/1055 (11 November 1985, per the editorial note on legislation.gov.uk), when registration began. The six-month and two-year periods in s.42 run from that day (about May 1986 and November 1987; National Archives says full effect came in November 1987). The text of S.I. 1985/1055 itself was not readable, so the date rests on the legislation.gov.uk note. The chapter date 12 July 1984 is treated as Royal Assent.