Processing Anonymous Data
It was generally assumed that data which did not identify individuals fell outside the scope of the Data Protection Act 1998 and therefore the restrictions imposed on the use of “personal data” did not apply. However, recent legal guidance issued by the UK Information Commissioner has thrown this into doubt. Partner Nigel Wildish and assistant Marcus Turle, of the IT & E-commerce group at City law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse, discuss why data controllers may have to rethink how anonymous data are handled….