GDPR Glossary Also known as: sensitive personal data
Sensitive data — health, race, religion, sexual orientation, biometrics and more — that gets extra protection under Article 9.
Special-category (sensitive) data reveals racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade-union membership, genetic or biometric data, health, sex life or sexual orientation.
Processing it is prohibited unless a specific Article 9 condition applies — such as explicit consent, employment law, or substantial public interest.
In the Regulation
Related terms
Personal dataAny information relating to an identified or identifiable living person, from a name or email to an IP address or location data.Explicit consentA higher standard of consent — an express statement — required to process special-category data or for certain transfers.Biometric dataData from physical or behavioural traits — like fingerprints or facial geometry — used to uniquely identify a person.Genetic dataData about a person's inherited or acquired genetic characteristics — a special category of sensitive data.
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