In the UK data is protected by the GDPR and Data Protection and Data Use and Access Acts. Under this legislation, you are entitled to know what personal information an organisation or business keeps about you. The simplest way to do this is by writing directly to the business and requesting a copy of your data. If the organisation is a public body, contact the Data Protection Officer, or DPO, whose details are usually listed in the organisation’s privacy policy. If there is no DPO, you can address your request to the company secretary.
If you outsource your data analytics to a data analysis company, such as //shepper.com/, they should be able to give you more detailed advice, but the discovery procedure is actually very straightforward.
Obligations
By law, any organisation must respond promptly and no later than one month after receiving your request. In certain cases-if your query is particularly complex or covers multiple requests-the organisation can extend this time frame by up to two more months. If this happens, they are required to inform you within the first month and explain the reasons for the delay.
Exemptions
There are circumstances where information may be withheld, such as when disclosure could affect criminal investigations, national security, tax collection or specific official appointments. Organisations are not obliged to tell you why data is being withheld.
Costs
Most requests are free of charge. However, if you ask for a substantial amount of data or the request is especially burdensome, the organisation may levy a reasonable administrative fee.