The Data Protection Act 1998 repeals the Data Protection Act 1984 and the Access to Personal Files Act 1987 and will mean massive upheaval in current practice for most users of personal data. The Government has estimated the start-up costs for private industry to be L1.2 billion, with anon-going annual outlay of L635 million. This invaluable guide fully explains the operation of the 1998 Act and clearly describes the dramatic and potentially costly changes to the law, including: The new definition of processing - meaning many more operations concerning data will be caught thanunder the old law. The expansion of the definition of data to include manual records. A new category of sensitive personal data where, in most cases, an individuals consent will be a necessary prerequisite to processing. Updated and amended data protection principles and a banning of the transferof data to non-EEA countries, save in exceptional circumstances.