5. Personal data – CPD courses
Example: CPD courses
5.1 Personal data is defined in the PDPA as “data, whether true or not, about an individual who can be identified — CPD courses
a) from that data; or
b) from that data and other information to which the organisation has or is likely to have access.”
5.2 The term “personal data” is not intended to be narrowly construed and covers all types of data from which an individual can be identified, regardless of whether such data is true or false or whether it is in electronic or other form. However, as will be highlighted later, the PDPA does not apply in relation to certain categories of personal data which are expressly excluded from the application of the PDPA. CPD courses.
Data about an individual
5.3 The most basic requirement for data to constitute personal data is that it is data about an individual. Data about an individual includes any data that relates to the individual.
5.4 While some data will necessarily relate to an individual, such as an individual’s name, other data may not, on its own, relate to an individual. Such data would not constitute personal data unless it is associated with, or made to relate to, a particular individual. CPD courses.
5.5 For example, a residential address on its own relates to a particular place and there could be several individuals, or even none, residing there. Hence whether a residential address constitutes personal data would depend on whether the address is associated with a particular identifiable individual so as to form part of the individual’s personal data.
5.6 Generic information that does not relate to a particular individual may also form part of an individual’s personal data when combined with personal data or other information to enable an individual to be identified. CPD courses.
Example:
John Tan is a male Singaporean of 21 years of age. By themselves, general characteristics such as “male”, “Singaporean” and “21 years of age” are not able to identify a particular individual. John Tan fills up a membership form which asks for his full name, gender, nationality and age. In this case, all the information on the form, including the general characteristics, constitute personal data of John Tan.
Source: PDPC
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