The data that a user wants are reliably provided, while avoiding any fraudulent use of the provided data. The present invention provides a data storage apparatus to be connected to an external apparatus by way of a predetermined connection interface, the apparatus comprising a data storage section including a first storage area adapted to be used for freely writing data from the external apparatus connected to the data storage apparatus and limit reading of the written data in the data format used by the external apparatus and a second storage area storing software for executing an operation of reading out the data written in the first storage area, and a control section that controls the operation of the data storage section of reading out the data written in the first storage area by executing the software stored in the second storage area in response to a request from the external apparatus to read out the data written in the first storage area and transmitting the read out data to the external apparatus connected to the data storage apparatus after converting the read out data into a signal of the output format of the external apparatus without fail.