What is sensitive personal data?
According to the EU, sensitive personal data is the part of personal data that is considered more sensitive. That is, if disclosed, they could cause greater harm or damage to a person’s privacy and security. Sensitive personal data is divided into the following categories:
- Health
- Trade union relations
- Biometric data
- Genetic data
- Race
- Religion
- Sexual orientation
- Political opinions
However, it does not include names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and demographic information. In general, the handling and protection of sensitive personal data is, in accordance to compliance regulations, subject to stricter rules compared to non-sensitive personal data.
Sensitive business data
We should also mention sensitive business data. Although the rules protecting them may be different, this type of data should also be carefully protected. Sensitive business information may include intellectual property rights, trade secrets, plans for a merger or other data that would adversely affect the business if it fell into the hands of a competitor.
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What is the legislation to protect sensitive personal data?
Legislation to protect sensitive personal data varies from country to country, but there are some general guidelines and standards that are widely recognised. A central set of rules that has had a global impact is the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), which is the EU’s data regulation that applies within the EU. Read more about how to process sensitive personal data in accordance with the GDPR here.
What happens if you expose sensitive data?
The consequences of exposing personal data to companies will also vary and can be relatively minor to catastrophic, depending on the amount of data leaked, its sensitivity and the degree of your company’s negligence. Read more about the consequences here.
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Do this to protect your data
A tool for data discovery can help you organise your files and protect the sensitive personal data you have stored. It can help you with the following:
- Locate your sensitive data is stored
- Classify data according to its sensitivity and level of risk
- Implement effective security controls
- Create data protection assessments
- Report any data breach
- Continuously monitor your risk level
- Save documentation and audit reports
Learn more about protecting privacy data here.
The smart way to protect sensitive personal data
We have developed the Data Discovery tool DataMapper to easily find, map and continuously monitor sensitive data.
Sebastian Allerelli
Founder & COO at Safe Online
Sebastian is the co-founder and COO of Safe Online, where he focuses on automating processes and developing innovative solutions within data protection and compliance. With a background from Copenhagen Business Academy and experience within identity and access management, he has a keen understanding of GDPR and data security. As a writer on Safe Online's Knowledge Hub, Sebastian shares his expertise through practical advice and in-depth analysis that help companies navigate the complex GDPR landscape. His posts combine technical insight with business understanding and provide concrete solutions for effective compliance.
