The Symbiosis between Data Protection and Open Data
Summary
The European Union recognizes personal data protection as a
fundamental right, with the GDPR outlining strict rules for processing
personal data fairly, transparently, and only for specified purposes.
Open data laws, developed in parallel, require public bodies to make
information accessible for reuse, which can sometimes clash with data
protection rules. When datasets include personal data, reconciling
GDPR compliance with open data availability becomes challenging, as
both the provider and reuser must manage transparency, purpose
limitation, and data minimization. This often leads to avoiding
personal data in open datasets, either by anonymization or exclusion,
although identifying personal data accurately remains crucial.