One of the aims of the Data Protection Act is to protect data, whether this pertains to businesses or individuals, from data theft. Data theft used to be a problem at the peripheries, however these days it is much more ubiquitous. One of the reasons for this is the advent of the digital age, however data theft from paper sources is still a concern.
Because data theft is such a problem in the modern day, there are legal ramifications in terms of safeguarding data. For example, it is the law that personal data is destroyed after a certain number of years. If your data is on paper sources then this means using an offsite shredding service. Look online and you’ll find various shredding companies UK.
Whilst data theft from paper sources is still a real problem, and you should take real care when disposing of paper resources, (remember personal data can still be “destroyed” whilst the paper itself is recycled,) much the data that passes through your business will be digitally held.
In one sense digital data is more vulnerable than information kept on paper as it can be replicated ad infinitum and could possibly be accessed remotely. There needs to be a watertight strategy in place for protection digital data and you should use encryption technology, such as SSL and TLS, whenever you are dealing with information that could be considered sensitive.
