ABSTRACT
Technology has revolutionised the management of personal data. In nearly all industries, the way data is stored, transferred and retrieved has changed with the advent of electronic databases, powerful search engines, remote computer access, email and the internet. Whilst the health sector may not have led the way in this transition, electronic medical records are becoming increasingly common, and are at the heart of the government's planned restructuring of the NHS. This could have major implications for the privacy of patient data.
