Skip to content

Sensitive Personal Data

What is Sensitive Personal Data?

Categories of personal data that require enhanced protection due to their sensitive nature. Under GDPR, this includes racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, health data, and data concerning sex life or sexual orientation.

Privacy

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

What the standards actually require on sensitive personal data

Requirements naming sensitive personal data across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

Controllers that sell sensitive personal data must post the exact notice: 'NOTICE: We may sell your sensitive personal data.' Controllers that sell biometric personal data must post: 'NOTICE: We may sell your biometric personal data.' Notices must be in the sa...

TDPSA-541-052 · Sale of Sensitive Personal Data Notice

In addition to the Article 9 obligations, the DPO of the controller or processor must follow and implement the security policies and procedures necessary to avoid any breach or infringement of sensitive personal data.

EGY-PDPL-Art.13 · DPO security duties for sensitive personal data

Processing of sensitive personal data and personality profiles requires explicit consent or another statutory basis, with stricter safeguards including limitations on disclosure to third parties.

CH-FADP-03 · Sensitive personal data and personality profiles

Prohibition on sensitive data. Section 20 prohibits the processing of sensitive personal data except where a permitted exception applies.

BW-DPA-s20 · Prohibition for processing of sensitive personal data

Article 6 (SENSITIVE PERSONAL DATA) - processing of sensitive personal data is PROHIBITED unless one of specific conditions applies: (a) EXPLICIT consent (heightened beyond ordinary consent);

UAE-PDPL-Art.6_7 · Sensitive personal data and children's data (UAE PDPL Articles 6-7)

Questions people ask about sensitive personal data

What is Sensitive Personal Data?
Categories of personal data that require enhanced protection due to their sensitive nature. Under GDPR, this includes racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, health data, and data concerning sex life or sexual orientation.
Why is Sensitive Personal Data important for compliance?
Sensitive Personal Data is a key concept in Privacy. Understanding sensitive personal data 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 Sensitive Personal Data?
Sensitive Personal Data appears in the requirement text of Texas Data Privacy Act, Egypt Personal Data Protection Law (Law No. 151 of 2020), Kazakhstan Law on Personal Data and Their Protection (No. 94-V), Switzerland New Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP/nDSG, 2023), Botswana Data Protection Act (2024). Across these standards we have identified 24 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Sensitive Personal Data?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how sensitive personal data 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 Sensitive Personal Data 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.