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Legitimate Interest

What is Legitimate Interest?

One of six lawful bases for processing personal data under GDPR. Processing is lawful when necessary for the legitimate interests of the controller or a third party, provided those interests are not overridden by the rights of the data subject.

Privacy

Each of these is named in at least one of the same controls as legitimate interest. The number is how many controls name both.

What the standards actually require on legitimate interest

Requirements naming legitimate interest across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

Reforms the lawful bases under the UK GDPR, including a new list of recognised legitimate interests for which a balancing test is not required, and clarifies the legitimate-interests assessment.

DUAA-P5-LAWFUL · Lawful processing and recognised legitimate interests
GDPR6 controls

Do not subject a data subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning them or similarly significantly affects them, unless the decision is necessary for entering into or performing a cont...

GDPR-Art.22 · Automated individual decision-making, including profiling

Controllers may refuse suppression in defined cases including legal duty to retain, contractual obligations, or where suppression would prejudice legitimate interests of third parties. Refusal must be reasoned.

AR-25326-ART17-OPPOSITION · Right of Opposition and Refusal Exceptions

Questions people ask about legitimate interest

What is Legitimate Interest?
One of six lawful bases for processing personal data under GDPR. Processing is lawful when necessary for the legitimate interests of the controller or a third party, provided those interests are not overridden by the rights of the data subject.
Why is Legitimate Interest important for compliance?
Legitimate Interest is a key concept in Privacy. Understanding legitimate interest helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address Legitimate Interest?
Legitimate Interest appears in the requirement text of Jamaica Data Protection Act 2020, Jordan Draft Personal Data Protection Law (2022), Kenya Data Protection Act, Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, GDPR. Across these standards we have identified 19 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Legitimate Interest?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how legitimate interest applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 686 frameworks.

See how Legitimate Interest applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.