Your company may receive Subject Access Requests (SARs) which have become increasingly common since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force. A SAR is a request by an individual for personal information that your company holds on them. Complying with SARs regularly can be inconvenient and time consuming. As such many business owners wonder whether there is a way to avoid complying, or fully complying, with SARs. Usually the answer is \u2018no\u2019; however, a few exemptions may allow your business to limit its response to a SAR. This article will explore the potential exemptions available which you might use to refuse or limit your response to an SAR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A SAR is a request, generally in written form, by an individual for information held about them. The most common SARs are submitted by employees, followed by individuals and customers. Since most SARs come from staff members, this article will focus on employee-derived SARs. Here, an employee may request all personal data relating to them. This includes information concerning their:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In most cases, your company has one calendar month from receiving the SAR to find, process and provide the information. These compliance requirements can be time-consuming and stressful for some companies. This is especially true for smaller businesses that lack the resources to respond quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following section will detail exceptions where your business can limit its response to a SAR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A manifestly unfounded SAR is one that our data protection rules determine is not worthy of legal protection. This is usually because the individual\u2019s motivation is contrary to the intention and purpose of the GDPR<\/a> and our data protection laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two main ways to label a SAR manifestly unfounded. These include the individual:<\/p>\n These reasons are not mutually independent and often overlap,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n While these reasons appear broad, the test is relatively strict. Many business owners obtain legal advice before rejecting a SAR on the basis that it is \u2018manifestly unfounded\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Continue reading this article below the form\n <\/i>\n<\/a>\n\n