Global Law Experts Top Search Results to
Help Tackle Law in Data Privacy

Data privacy, also known as information privacy, is the area of law that deals with the proper handling of an individual’s personal information. It is not about keeping data secret, but about establishing a legal framework that governs how personal data can be lawfully collected, used, stored, and shared. It is a fundamental right that aims to give individuals control over their own data by imposing rules and responsibilities on the organizations that manage that data.

Personal data, or personally identifiable information (PII), is any information that can be used, either on its own or in conjunction with other information, to identify a specific living individual. This is a very broad category that includes obvious identifiers like a person’s name, address, email, and phone number, but it also extends to government-issued identification numbers, financial account information, medical records, and even online identifiers like IP addresses.

Most modern data protection laws grant individuals several fundamental rights over their personal data. These typically include the right to be informed about how your data is being collected and used, the right to access a copy of the data an organization holds about you, and the right to correct any inaccuracies. You also generally have the right to object to the processing of your data in certain circumstances and the right to request the erasure or deletion of your data, often called the “right to be forgotten.”

A privacy policy is a key legal document that informs users how a website or application collects, processes, and protects their personal data. In most legal systems, any business that gathers personally identifiable information is required by law to provide such a policy. Its primary function is to create transparency and allow individuals to make an informed decision before sharing their data, which is a fundamental principle of modern data privacy and protection laws.