GDPR Glossary Also known as: right to be forgotten
The data subject's right to have their personal data deleted in certain circumstances.
The right to erasure ('right to be forgotten') lets individuals ask for their personal data to be deleted — for example when it is no longer needed, consent is withdrawn, or it was processed unlawfully.
It is not absolute: it can be refused where processing is needed for freedom of expression, legal obligations, or the establishment or defence of legal claims.
In the Regulation
Related terms
Subject access requestA request from an individual to see the personal data an organisation holds about them — usually answered within one month.Right to restriction of processingThe right to have processing paused — data stored but not otherwise used — in certain situations.Data subjectThe living individual whom the personal data is about — the person the GDPR is designed to protect.
Need this applied to your business?
Our data-protection lawyers turn GDPR terms into a working plan.