In “Labour MP calls for probe into Tory use of voter data” (News, 27 May, page 1), we said: “Under the 1998 Data Protection Act, it is illegal to process ‘sensitive’ data – a category that includes ‘political opinions’ – without explicit consent from the individuals concerned.” We should clarify that consent of the data subject is only one of numerous conditions under which sensitive personal data may be legally processed. Other conditions for processing are set out in Schedule 3 of DPA 1998.
Naming names: confusion crept into “Parents panic about sexting but children will make their own online moral codes” (In Focus, last week, page 29) when discussing a new report, correctly entitled Invisibly Blighted: The Digital Erosion of Childhood at first mention but then called, incorrectly, Blighted Lives. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jun/03/sexting-parents-panic-children-make-own-moral-codesAnd we misnamed the Liberal Democrat candidate in Theresa May’s Maidenhead constituency as Tony Hall. He is Tony Hill (“Tightening polls breathe new life into Remainers urging voters to think tactically”, News, last week, page 16).
The violent treatment we said was suffered by Natalie Hemming at the hands of her husband, Paul, who went on to murder her, was actually committed by Hemming on a former partner, according to the Channel 4 documentary Catching a Killer, though Natalie suffered equally before her death. (TV review, last week, New Review, page 24).
Write to Stephen Pritchard, Readers’ Editor, the Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU email observer.readers@observer.co.uk tel 0203 353 4656
