Rialtas.net – Government 2.0

The survey focused on public awareness of the Data Protection Act (DPA) and sought to see if people knew its provisions. Individuals were also asked if they had used subject access requests under the DPA, or an internet or credit search to check data held about them, and, if they had, what their experience had been. In spite of a high awareness of the DPA, and that one quarter of people have made internet or credit searches about themselves, only 4% were subject access requests under the DPA.

Yet the most important issue of those raised amongst adults questioned about the DPA was having the automatic right to correct data about oneself if it is incorrect: 77% said this is very important to them. 71% also indicated that it is very important to them to be asked for their consent if other organisations or Government departments want access to their data originally collected for another purpose. While two thirds claimed that it was very important to them to be aware of the names of organisations or Government departments that hold information about them and what it is.

In the wake of recent publicity regarding government held data loss, 57% of British adults indicated that it is very important to them that the handling of data by Government employees should be on a sliding scale of seniority – the more sensitive the information, the more senior the employee should be.

Read a summary here http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.18160

Or download the results here http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dgs2008.pdf