The right to restrict processing under EU data protection law

Traffic policemen on point duty, corner of Park and College Streets, 17 August 1934, by Ted Hood — State Library of New South Wales

Key points:

Data subjects have a right to request that the processing of personal data about them be restricted;

This is not an absolute right and only applies in certain circumstances;

When processing is restricted, storing personal data is permitted, but not using it;

A data subject can make a request for restriction verbally or in writing;

Controllers have one calendar month to respond to a request;

This right has close links to the right to rectification and the right to object.

What is the right to restrict processing and why is it important?

EU data protection law gives data subjects the right to restrict the processing of personal data about them in certain circumstances. This means that a data subject can limit how an organization uses data about him/her. This is an alternative to requesting data erasure.

Although the right to restrict processing is distinct from the right to rectification and the right to object it is closely linked to them. If a data subject has challenged the accuracy of the data and asked to rectify it, he/she also has a right to request restricting of the processing…