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ARTICLE · 16 NOVEMBER 2023

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The Art Of Staying Anonymous: Game-Changing Decision For Data Anonymisation

William Fry LLP
William Fry LLP
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William Fry LLP

William Fry LLP

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The Decision is under appeal to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU). If upheld, the Decision's impact will mean that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will not apply to...

European UnionPrivacy
Leo Moore
Leo Moore
Rachel Hayes
Rachel Hayes
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A recent decision (Decision) of the European General Court (General Court) has shifted the goalposts for data anonymisation.

In Single Resolution Board (SRB) v European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) (Case T-557/20), the General Court held that:

  1. pseudonymised data will be considered anonymised data if the holder of such data has no means to (re-) identify the individuals about whom such data relates; and
  2. personal views or opinions cannot, by default, be presumed to constitute personal data.

The Decision is under appeal to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU). If upheld, the Decision's impact will mean that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will not apply to any personal data transferred where the recipient has no legal means to identify individuals from the data.

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