A data subject is any person whose personal data is being collected, held or processed.

Personal data can refer to anything from name, address or posts on social media.

As a result, anyone becomes at some point a data subject – whether they are applying for a job, booking a flight, using their credit card or just browsing the internet, they disclose some personal data.

A data controller means a person who determines the purposes for which and the manner in which any personal data are/are to be processed.

A formal request by a data subject to a controller to take an action on their personal data is called a Data Subject Request or DSR. 

As controller, the GDPR and the DPA require you to be able to:

  • Give data subjects a copy of their personal data, together with an explanation of the categories of their data that are being processed, the purposes of that processing, and the categories of third parties to whom their data may be disclosed.
  • Help every individual exercise their rights