What does ‘data protection’ mean?

Everyone has the right to the protection of their personal data. This is called data protection. Data protection protects your personal data from leaking to everyone on the internet. It also prevents someone else from passing themselves off as you by using your name, photos or other information.

When you participate in a hobby activity, such as dancing class, the scouts or football practice, the club or association organising the hobby processes your personal data. The club or association has to process your personal data carefully. It needs to make sure that all of your personal data are kept safe and out of outside hands.

‘Processing’ means everything that the hobby organiser does with your information. For example, collecting data, storing data and disclosing data to others are all forms of processing. If you sign up for a football team and give your name and contact details to the coach, the team is processing your personal data. The team is also processing your personal data when it stores it on a computer or discloses it to a website where results are published. It also counts as processing when your coach asks you if you have allergies, so that the team can get you nut-free snacks for away games, for example.