In May 2018, Jersey introduced Data Protection Law with equivalent principles to the European General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
The Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 brings equivalence to the principles of the GDPR. This means that individuals privacy rights will be strengthened and your information will be safer.
The States of Jersey takes the security and privacy of your information very seriously and has implemented various measures to ensure best standards are met, including:
- in depth training for staff
- appointment of Corporate Data Protection Officer (CDPO
- establishment of States wide programme board
- movement of Data Protection to corporate function
Your Personal Data Rights
The Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 grants people a range of specific rights they can exercise over their personal data, in certain circumstances (exemptions may apply). It also sets out the requirements for how organisations, businesses and the government use your personal information.
Data protection principles
This means that everyone responsible for using personal data has to follow strict rules called data protection principles. They must make sure the information is:
- used lawfully, fairly and transparently
- used for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes
- used in a way that is adequate, relevant and limited to only what is necessary
- accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date
- kept for no longer than is necessary
- handled in a way that ensures appropriate security, including protection against unlawful or unauthorised processing, access, loss, destruction or damage
There is stronger legal protection for sensitive information which is also known as special category data, such as:
- race
- ethnic background
- political opinions
- religious beliefs
- trade union membership
- genetics or biometrics (where used for identification)
- health
- sex life or orientation
- criminal record or alleged criminal activity
Your rights under the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 include the rights to:
- be informed about how your data is being used
- access personal data
- have incorrect data updated
- have data deleted (in certain circumstances)
- limit or restrict the processing of your data (in certain circumstances)
- data portability (allowing you to obtain and reuse your data for different services)
- object to how your data is processed (in certain circumstances)
You also have rights when an organisation is using your personal data for automated decision-making processes (without human involvement) and profiling, for example to predict your behaviour or interests.
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