What is Data Minimisation in the Context of GDPR?
Data minimisation is one of the most effective ways to protect personal data. But what does it actually mean, and how can you implement it in your business? This guide provides a simple and practical approach to data minimisation—and explains why it should be an essential part of your GDPR strategy for compliance.
Benefits of data minimisation
You collect data from contacts, customers, and leads to collaborate effectively, deliver services, and target your marketing efforts. However, the more data you store, the harder it becomes to find relevant information, the greater the risk of GDPR violations, and the more sensitive data you have, the more severe the consequences of a data breach. Additionally, storing unnecessary data costs both time and money. Keeping files you no longer need clutters your systems, making it harder to navigate the information that truly matters.
Data minimisation means only collecting, processing, and storing the personal data necessary for your purposes. GDPR requires that data collection be adequate, relevant, and limited—you should not collect data without a valid reason.
In short, here are three key reasons why data minimisation is a smart strategy:
- Minimise the impact of data breaches – Less data means lower exposure.
- Reduce GDPR violations – The fewer data you store, the easier it is to stay compliant.
- Improve data organisation – Large amounts of data make it harder to locate relevant info.
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Quick-guide to data minimisation
To put data minimisation into practice, here are four clear and actionable steps:
- Identify Your Purpose
Think about when and why you collect data. How do you use it? Is there a way to achieve your goal without processing personal data? Clearly state your purpose for collecting personal data in your privacy policies and consent forms—and stick to them. - Decide How Long to Retain Data
How long do you need to store data? Define retention periods for different types of data, document this in your policy, and ensure data is disposed of when it is no longer required for its original purpose. - Review and Delete Data Regularly
Conduct regular audits of the data you have collected. Review it and assess whether it is still needed. If the data is no longer necessary, delete it. - Train Your Employees
Ensure your employees understand when, why, and how to collect personal data. Emphasise the importance of only collecting the data necessary for legitimate business operations. Finally, make sure everyone is aware of how long data should be retained and when it must be deleted.
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Find data you no longer need
Implementing data minimisation can be challenging, and the biggest hurdle often arises when companies try to manually review their sensitive data. Many businesses don’t know where to start or find the process too time-consuming to integrate into their data strategy.
To make cleaning up data faster, easier, and more precise, consider using a data discovery tool. Tools like DataMapper can automatically identify personal and sensitive data across your systems, categorise it by type, age, and relevance, and provide a clear overview of what should be deleted or retained.
By automating this process, you save time, reduce GDPR risks, and ensure that your data management remains both effective and compliant. With the right tools, data minimisation isn’t just a task—it becomes an integrated part of a stronger, smarter data strategy.
Sebastian Allerelli
Founder & COO at Safe Online
Governance, Risk & Compliance Specialist
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