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ARTICLE · 26 JULY 2024

Subject Access Requests - The Cost To Your Business

DMH Stallard LLP
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Individuals have a right to request access and receive a copy of their data held by an organisation. Where an individual requests to access this data, or to find out how or why it is used...

United KingdomPrivacy
Georgie Swift
Georgie Swift
Rebecca Leeves
Rebecca Leeves

What is a subject access request?

Individuals have a right to request access and receive a copy of their data held by an organisation. Where an individual requests to access this data, or to find out how or why it is used, this is referred to as a subject access request ("SAR"), or a data subject access request.

SARs are relevant to any individual or organisation that processes personal data. As they are generally free and can be made easily without reason, individuals can submit requests in moments, yet responding to SARs is not so easy, and can take considerable time, effort and resource for businesses.

Why are SARs becoming more common?

The right for individuals to access their personal data held by organisations is not new and was first introduced by the Data Protection Act 1984. However, in recent years they seem to have become more prevalent, and a survey conducted by EY Law Professionals found that 60% of respondents had seen an increase in SARs in

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