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Special Category Data

What is Special Category Data?

Personal data types that require additional protections under GDPR, including racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, and health data.

Privacy and Data Protection

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

What the standards actually require on special category data

Requirements naming special category data across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

Apply heightened controls to special category data (health, biometrics, race, religion, political views) including explicit consent or statutory exception.

AM-DPA-03 · Special Category Data Restrictions

Greece Law 4624/2019 Chapter A - General Provisions (Articles 1-4). SCOPE: applies to processing of personal data by public + private bodies in Greece + extra-territorial application per GDPR Article 3 + supplements GDPR + transposes LEDP.

GR-DPA-ChapterA-Scope-LawfulBasis-Defs · Greece Law 4624/2019 Chapter A - General Provisions, Scope, Definitions and Greek-Specific Lawful Bases

Chapter II Personal Data Processing establishes lawful processing requirements. Section 5 (Lawfulness) requires processing be based on: (a) data subject consent, or (b) legal authorisation.

HU-INFOTV-Chap2-Lawful-Basis-Special-Categories-Sections-5-6 · HU Infotv Chap II - Lawful Basis + Special Categories of Personal Data (Sections 5-6)

Special categories of data for substantial public interest. Article 8 implements GDPR Article 9.2.g, designating processing of special-category data necessary for reasons of substantial public interest and the safeguards that apply.

BE-DPA-5 · Processing of special categories for substantial public interest

Establish the lawful basis for research processing (e.g. public interest/legitimate interest or consent) and the Article 9(2)(j) condition for special-category data, subject to Article 89 safeguards.

RDCOC-LAW-01 · Lawful Basis for Research

Reforms the rules on automated decision-making, permitting a wider range of solely automated decisions subject to safeguards (information to data subjects, the ability to make representations, obtain human intervention and contest decisions), with tighter rule...

DUAA-P5-ADM · Automated decision-making reforms

Questions people ask about special category data

What is Special Category Data?
Personal data types that require additional protections under GDPR, including racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, and health data.
Why is Special Category Data important for compliance?
Special Category Data is a key concept in Privacy and Data Protection. Understanding special category 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 Special Category Data?
Special Category Data appears in the requirement text of Armenia Law on Protection of Personal Data (2015), Greece Law 4624/2019 - Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA) Implementation Act, Hungary Act CXII of 2011 on Informational Self-Determination and Freedom of Information (Info Act), Belgium Data Protection Act (Wet van 30 juli 2018, Loi du 30 juillet 2018), Code of Conduct on Data Protection for Research (GDPR Article 40). Across these standards we have identified 11 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Special Category Data?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how special category 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 Special Category 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.