EU Privacy Law

EU Privacy Law refers to the set of data protection and privacy regulations established by the European Union to safeguard the personal information of individuals within its jurisdiction. It includes foundational frameworks like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy Directive, both of which enforce strict requirements around data collection, processing, storage, and sharing.

EU Privacy Law sets the global gold standard for protecting individual data rights and applies to any organization — inside or outside the EU — that processes data about EU residents.

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What Is EU Privacy Law?

EU privacy law is a collective term that covers all legal instruments in the European Union governing the use of personal data. These laws are based on the right to privacy and protection of personal data, enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (Article 8).

These laws aim to:

• 🔐 Protect the personal data of individuals
• ⚖️ Create a harmonized legal environment across EU member states
• 🧠 Empower individuals with rights over their personal information
• 🌍 Ensure that data flows respect European values, even beyond EU borders

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Core Components of EU Privacy Law

Regulation	Purpose
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)	Main regulation for data protection across the EU
ePrivacy Directive	Governs electronic communications, including cookies, emails, and tracking
EU Charter of Fundamental Rights	Establishes the right to data protection as a fundamental human right
National Implementations	Member states may have national variations or additions (e.g., CNIL in France, BfDI in Germany)

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GDPR: The Cornerstone of EU Privacy Law

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), enacted in May 2018, is the most comprehensive and widely enforced data privacy regulation in the world.

Key Principles:

• ✅ Lawfulness, fairness, and transparency
• ✅ Purpose limitation
• ✅ Data minimization
• ✅ Accuracy
• ✅ Storage limitation
• ✅ Integrity and confidentiality
• ✅ Accountability

Rights It Grants:

User Right	Explanation
Right to Access	Individuals can request a copy of their data
Right to Rectification	Correct inaccuracies in personal data
Right to Erasure	Delete data (“right to be forgotten”)
Right to Restrict Processing	Limit how their data is used
Right to Data Portability	Transfer data to another provider
Right to Object	Object to certain data uses (e.g., marketing)
Automated Decision-Making Protection	Human review required for profiling decisions

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ePrivacy Directive

Also known as the “Cookie Law”, the ePrivacy Directive predates GDPR and governs:

• 🍪 Use of cookies and trackers on websites
• 📬 Email and SMS marketing practices
• 📡 Confidentiality of communications (phone, VoIP, apps)

Consent is required before placing cookies — unless they are strictly necessary for site functionality.

A new regulation, the ePrivacy Regulation, is expected to replace this directive, aligning it fully with GDPR.

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Who Must Comply with EU Privacy Law?

Entity Type	Required to Comply?
EU-based companies	✅ Yes
Non-EU companies handling EU data	✅ Yes (extraterritorial scope)
B2B SaaS platforms	✅ Yes if processing EU personal data
Data brokers and enrichment tools	✅ Yes if data includes EU contacts
Advertisers and publishers	✅ Yes if targeting EU audiences

CUFinder, for example, enriches publicly available B2B data and processes it under legitimate interest, while supporting opt-out and data subject rights to remain compliant.

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Legal Basis for Data Processing Under GDPR

Organizations must establish a lawful basis before processing personal data. These include:

Legal Basis	Example
Consent	User opts in to marketing emails
Legitimate Interest	CRM enrichment for B2B sales leads
Contractual Necessity	Processing billing info for a subscription
Legal Obligation	Storing invoices for tax compliance
Vital Interests	Emergency medical info
Public Task	Public institution activities

B2B platforms often rely on legitimate interest, but must weigh it against user privacy rights.

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Enforcement and Penalties

EU privacy laws are enforced by Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) in each member state, such as:

• CNIL (France)
• BfDI (Germany)
• ICO (UK – formerly EU law, still aligned with GDPR)
• Garante (Italy)

Penalties under GDPR:

• Up to €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher
• Suspension of data processing activities
• Reputational damage and regulatory monitoring

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Real-World Applications of EU Privacy Law

Application Area	Legal Requirement
Contact Enrichment	Process under legitimate interest, offer opt-out
Cold Emailing (EU)	Obtain consent unless B2B with prior relationship
Cookie Tracking	Block until explicit consent (via CMP)
CRM Storage	Retain only necessary, updated, secure data
Analytics	Anonymize or require opt-in under ePrivacy
SaaS Platforms	Publish Privacy Policy, DPA, enable access requests

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Best Practices for EU Privacy Law Compliance

✅ Publish a GDPR-compliant privacy policy
✅ Integrate a consent management platform (CMP)
✅ Keep a record of processing activities (ROPA)
✅ Conduct a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) when needed
✅ Sign data processing agreements (DPAs) with vendors
✅ Enable and document data subject request workflows
✅ Appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO) if required
✅ Use encryption, access controls, and audit logs

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Cited Sources

• Wikipedia: General Data Protection Regulation
• Wikipedia: ePrivacy Directive
• Wikipedia: Privacy law
• Wikipedia: Data protection

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Related Terms

• GDPR
• Consent Management
• Privacy Policy
• Data Privacy
• Data Subject Request (DSR)
• DPA (Data Processing Agreement)
• CCPA (US Equivalent)
• PII (Personally Identifiable Information)
• Data Breach

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FAQ