Personal data means more
Published:Thursday | May 23, 2024 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
In your headline article for May 22, 2024, ‘Nothing is Secret ’, Chukwuemeka Cameron is paraphrased as saying “personal data is defined as any information that can be used to identify an individual either by itself or in connection with any other piece of information.”
This is not correct. Personal data means information (however stored) that relates to an individual that can be identified from that information alone or from that information and other information in the possession of the data controller. Personal data is not merely data that can identify someone, but it is any information about that person. Mr Golding’s passport information, even if it is only issue dates, is certainly information that relates to him, and therefore would be personal data. If that information had come from PICA, its release would certainly be a data breach.
ANDREW WILLIAMS