A Data Request is a formal inquiry made by individuals to organizations holding their personal data, seeking access to, or information about, the data collected about them.
This request is supported by data protection laws like the GDPR, which encourage individuals with the right to know how their personal data is being used, processed, or shared by an organization.
For instance, if you sign up for a new online service, you might later want to know what personal information the service has about you.
You can submit a Data Request to the organization to provide you with this information.
The organization is then required to respond within a specified timeframe, usually one month, detailing the data they have, the purpose of processing, and with whom the data is shared, among other information.
Data Requests can also include demands for correction, deletion, or portability of personal data. If you find that the information an organization holds about you is incorrect, you can ask for it to be corrected.
Similarly, you might request the deletion of your data under certain conditions or ask for your data to be provided in a format that can be transferred to another service provider.
Organizations are required to establish clear, accessible procedures for individuals to make these requests and must comply with them without undue delay.
Non-compliance or failure to adequately respond to a Data Request can result in significant penalties under data protection laws.
