Sensitive Personal Data

• The Data Protection Act covers the processing of personal data about a living individual. A special category of personal data, about which the rules of processing are stricter, is called sensitive personal data and relates to the individual's:
• sexuality;
• political affiliation & opinion;
• mental & physical health;
• religious affiliation & beliefs;
  trade union membership;
• ethnicity;
• proceedings for, and disposal of, any alleged and/or committed offence;
• actual & alleged criminal acts.

Schedule 3 of the Act states that sensitive personal data can only be processed if at least one of the following conditions is met:

• Explicit consent has been given by the individual;
• Processing is required to comply with employment legislation;
• Processing is necessary to safeguard the vital interests of the individual or another person;
• The information has already been made public by the individual;
• Processing is necessary in connection with legal proceedings;
• Processing is necessary for the administration of justice;
• Processing is necessary for medical reasons;
• Processing is necessary for ethnic monitoring.

Additional conditions apply to the processing of, and research on, personal and sensitive personal data. See elsewhere in this A to Z Guide.