What Next For Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs)? The Direction Of Travel

Data subject access requests (DSARs) are a cornerstone of the data protection regime, being fundamental in helping individuals to exercise their rights. If individuals do not know what information an organisation has about them then how can they understand if their information is being used lawfully? While DSARs have been around for many years, the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU and its equivalent legislation in the Channel Islands brought awareness of this right to the centre stage, with those who had never previously thought much about data protection becoming aware of their personal rights. This energised the use of DSARs and many more organisations have, often for the first time, had to respond to a DSAR (see our article here for more information about what to do if you are facing a DSAR.)