Data security is the means of ensuring that data is kept safe from corruption and that access to it is suitably controlled. Thus data security helps to ensure privacy.

In the UK, the Data Protection Act is used to ensure that personal data is accessible to those whom it concerns and provides redress to individuals if there are inaccuracies. This is particularly important for credit checking purposes.

The International Standard ISO/IEC 17799 covers data security under the topic of information security, and one of its cardinal principle is that all stored information, i.e. data, should be owned so that it is clear whose responsibility it is to protect and control access to that data.