Understanding the 7 data privacy principles

Most modern data protection laws are built on common core principles. While approaches vary across countries, these principles guide how organizations handle personal data, and what safeguards must be in place to protect it. 

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) lays out these principles right at the beginning of the regulation. They serve as a baseline for the rights the GDPR provides to individuals and obligations it imposes on organizations. The UK retained these principles while adapting them to fit national needs in the UK GDPR.

In contrast, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and its amendment, the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), don’t formally list out data privacy principles. Instead, they establish specific consumer rights and business obligations that reflect similar ideas. 

This is especially true in the CPRA, which added provisions that bring it at least somewhat closer to the GDPR’s approach to privacy and individual control.

For businesses operating globally, understanding these common principles helps create consistent data handling practices across jurisdictions. This article looks at the fundamental data privacy principles in global regulations and examines how they work in real-world scenarios.

What are the 7 data privacy principles?

Data privacy principles refer to the fundamental guidelines for processing personal data in a manner that respects the rights and freedoms of individuals. While the exact terminology and requirements may vary across regulations, the core principles of data privacy are consistent and influence everything from consent practices to data retention policies.

Here are the key data privacy principles commonly found in global data protection regulations:

• Transparency: Individuals should be clearly informed about how their data is being collected, used, and shared, and what rights they have under applicable laws.
• Purpose limitation: Organizations must only collect personal data for specific, legitimate purposes and may not use that data in ways that are incompatible with these purposes.
• Data minimization: Organizations should only collect and process the data they truly need for the stated purpose and nothing more.
• Accuracy: Personal data must be correct and up to date. Organizations need processes to promptly correct or remove inaccurate information.
• Storage limitation: Data should be kept only as long as needed for the original purpose. Once it’s no longer needed for that purpose, it should be deleted or anonymized.
• Integrity and confidentiality: Appropriate technical and organizational security measures must be in place to protect personal data from unauthorized access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage.
• Accountability: Organizations are responsible for data privacy compliance and must be able to demonstrate compliance through policies, documentation, and practices.

These principles work together to create meaningful privacy protections while leaving room for laws to take an individual approach.. 

Let’s explore each principle in more detail.

1. Transparency

To provide transparency means giving individuals clear, accessible information about how their personal data is collected, used, and shared, and what rights they have under relevant regulations. 

Both the GDPR and the CCPA/CPRA set detailed requirements for what information must be disclosed by organizations that collect personal data. California’s privacy laws require businesses to disclose what personal information they gather and why. 

They must explain if they share or sell this information and provide details such as consumers’ rights. The GDPR takes a similar approach, requiring businesses to outline what data they collect, their reasons for doing so, and who can access it.

Most companies use privacy policies to share these practices. An effective privacy policy should avoid legal jargon, opting instead for language anyone can understand, regardless of their technical or legal background. 

California law goes a step further by requiring both a notice at the point of collection and a comprehensive privacy policy. Although the GDPR doesn’t explicitly mandate a privacy policy, publishing one is the standard way that businesses meet their transparency obligations.

Transparency also extends beyond privacy policies and includes other forms of communication. For example, cookie banners include details on what tracking technologies a website uses and for what purposes. Other ways that data privacy laws require transparency include: 

• prompt notification of data breaches
• giving consumers the right and ability to access their data 
• making public the name and contact information of the person in charge of data privacy at an organization

You’ll find similar transparency requirements in privacy frameworks worldwide, though sometimes under different names. Brazil’s Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados Pessoais (LGPD), South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) all emphasize this principle. POPIA and PIPEDA refer to it as the principle of openness.

Here’s how it can look in practice. A fitness app might demonstrate transparency when requesting location access. It explains the purpose for collecting location data, such as to track workout routes and provide personalized recommendations. 

The app’s cookie banner links to a detailed privacy policy and gives California residents the required “Do Not Sell Or Share My Information” link, so they can easily opt out of data sales and other uses.

2. Purpose limitation

Purpose limitation requires organizations to collect personal data only for a clearly defined, specific reason. Organizations are then not allowed to use that data later for unrelated purposes without taking further steps. The idea is to prevent organizations from using data in ways the individual never expected or consented to.

Under the GDPR, personal data must be collected for “specified, explicit and legitimate” purposes. If an organization wants to use that data for a new purpose that doesn’t align with the original reason, it needs to obtain new, opt-in consent. 

Under the CCPA/CPRA, businesses must limit the collection, use, and retention of personal information to only purposes that: 

• a consumer would reasonably expect
• are compatible with the consumer’s expectations and disclosed to them
• the consumer agreed to, as long as the business didn’t use dark patterns to obtain consent

The business’ collection, use, and retention of the consumer’s information must be reasonably necessary and proportionate to serve each of these purposes.

For secondary use of sensitive personal information, businesses must obtain new consent if the consumer has exercised the right to limit its use. This is true whether or not the secondary use is compatible or incompatible with the original purpose. 

The Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) has a similar requirement. As of January 1, 2025, organizations must obtain consent before processing personal data for purposes that are neither necessary nor compatible with the originally disclosed purpose.

These expectations aren’t limited to the US and EU. Brazil’s LGPD, South Africa’s POPIA (under the “purpose specification” condition), and Canada’s PIPEDA all include similar rules that restrict the use of data beyond its original purpose.

Purpose limitation affects everyday business decisions. Consider an online retailer that collects customer email addresses for order confirmation and support. Sending an update when the order has shipped is part of the order process, and therefore a compatible use of the data. However, using that email address for targeted ads on social media is incompatible with the original purpose. 

If the law in that customer’s region requires opt-in consent, the retailer must ask for it explicitly. If it’s an opt-out consent model, they must notify users of the new purpose and give them a way to decline.

3. Data minimization

Data minimization means collecting only the personal data that’s needed to accomplish the disclosed purpose and nothing more. 

This principle is closely tied to how long data is stored. It goes beyond initial data collection and requires organizations to review forms, databases, and internal processes on an ongoing basis to avoid storing data that serves no clear purpose. 

The European Data Protection Supervisor — the EU’s independent data protection authority — states that once the reason for collecting the data has been fulfilled, that data should be deleted or anonymized unless there’s a valid reason to retain it. 

By limiting data collection and retention, organizations reduce security risks while respecting individual privacy rights. Holding less data means fewer opportunities for misuse or breach.

The GDPR explicitly requires that personal data be “adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary” for its intended purpose. 

While not part of the original CCPA, the CPRA amendment does incorporate data minimization. California’s privacy law now says that collecting, using, retaining, or sharing personal data must be “reasonably necessary and proportionate” to the purpose for which it was collected. 

The CPPA in its enforcement advisory specifically observes that “[d]ata minimization is a foundational principle in the CCPA.” It highlights the various CCPA/CPRA provisions that reflect this principle by prohibiting businesses from requiring consumers to share additional information beyond what is necessary.

Other US states — including Connecticut, Colorado, and Virginia — have adopted similar language in their own privacy laws. Globally, the concept appears under different names. Brazil’s LGPD refers to it as “necessity.” South Africa’s POPIA has a minimality requirement. Canada’s PIPEDA frames it as limiting collection, advising organizations to “collect only the personal information your organization needs to fulfill a legitimate identified purpose.”

A simple registration form can illustrate data minimization in practice. When a user is signing up for an online service, collecting their name and email address makes sense. These details are necessary for account creation and identification. 

However, if that same form demands a home address and phone number, even though the service doesn’t involve shipping or phone-based communication, that’s likely excessive and a violation of data minimization principles.

4. Accuracy

The accuracy principle focuses on maintaining correct and current personal data. Inaccurate data can cause real harm to individuals. A wrong address might send sensitive mail to the wrong location, while outdated credit information could result in unfair loan denials. Many data privacy laws address this in two ways:

• Individuals have the right to request correction of their information if it’s inaccurate or incomplete, and organizations must comply with verified requests
• Organizations must correct inaccurate or incomplete data

The GDPR calls this “the right to rectification” and requires companies to establish clear procedures for individuals to fix inaccurate data.

The CPRA introduced a similar right to California law, giving consumers the ability to request corrections to inaccurate personal information held by a business. This right was not included in the original CCPA.

Other global frameworks take a similar approach. Brazil’s LGPD includes a focus on data quality. Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) includes a formal accuracy obligation. Canada’s PIPEDA includes accuracy as a fundamental principle, and South Africa’s POPIA includes the information quality condition. Despite terminology differences, each regulation enables individuals to correct inaccurate personal information about themselves.

Banks demonstrate the accuracy principle when they maintain customer contact records. To keep information current, a bank will periodically ask customers to verify their phone numbers and addresses. 

When a customer reports a move, the bank quickly updates its systems to prevent statements or sensitive documents from being sent to outdated addresses where unauthorized individuals might access them.

5. Storage limitation

Storage limitation, sometimes called retention limitation, means personal data should only be kept for as long as it’s genuinely needed. This principle overlaps with that of data minimization, but emphasizes the amount of time data is retained. 

Once the purpose for collecting the data has been met — or if that data is no longer relevant — it should be deleted, destroyed, or anonymized, unless there’s a valid legal reason to retain it. 

Holding personal data indefinitely creates unnecessary privacy and security risks. The longer information sits in databases, the greater the chance it might be compromised or repurposed for uses individuals never anticipated when they shared their details.

The GDPR lays out this expectation clearly: data must be kept “no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which it was processed.” If the data is still needed for public interest archiving, scientific or historical research, or statistical purposes, the GDPR allows it to be retained, but only with safeguards in place. In practice, this means organizations should define clear retention periods or decision-making criteria for different types of data.

The CCPA/CPRA requires businesses to inform consumers how long they intend to keep each category of personal and sensitive information. If the company does not know specific timeframes, they must explain the criteria they use to determine retention periods. The regulation prohibits keeping personal information longer than reasonably necessary for the disclosed purpose.

South Africa’s POPIA explicitly prohibits retaining information longer than necessary to achieve the collection purpose. Canada’s PIPEDA also requires organizations to dispose of data once it’s no longer needed, and to do so in a way that prevents a data breach. Brazil’s LGPD doesn’t use the term “storage limitation” in its principles, but incorporates the concept by requiring personal data elimination after processing concludes, unless a legal or regulatory exception applies.

Consider an online store that retains customers’ order history and shipping addresses only while accounts remain active. If a customer closes their account, the business deletes their personal data once any outstanding matters are resolved, unless the law requires the business to keep it longer.

6. Integrity and confidentiality

The integrity and confidentiality principle requires organizations to secure personal data from unauthorized access, alteration, loss, or destruction. Integrity focuses on maintaining data consistency, accuracy, and reliability, while confidentiality restricts access to only authorized individuals or systems. 

Organizations must implement security measures tailored to the data they handle. That might include technical measures like encryption, pseudonymization, firewalls, and access controls, as well as organizational measures like employee training, documented security policies, and physical access restrictions. 

The GDPR requires data to be processed in a way that “ensures appropriate security” using both technical and organizational measures. It specifically points to protection against unauthorized or unlawful processing and accidental loss, destruction, or damage. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. What’s appropriate depends on factors like the type of data being stored, organization size, risk of harm, available technology, and implementation costs.

The CCPA/CPRA requires businesses to implement “reasonable security procedures and practices” suitable to the type of personal information collected. 

Notably, the CCPA/CPRA stands alone among comprehensive US state-level data privacy laws in giving California residents a private right of action if a data breach results from a business’s failure to “implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices.”

Security is a core expectation in other global regulations. Brazil’s LGPD lists it as a guiding principle. South Africa’s POPIA includes a security safeguards condition that places clear responsibility on the party handling the data. Canada’s PIPEDA requires safeguards based on the sensitivity of the information. Most US state-level privacy laws require businesses to implement reasonable security measures against unauthorized access or disclosure.

A healthcare provider could demonstrate these principles by implementing multi-factor authentication for staff accessing patient records. Their system could log all record access, and automatically flag unusual patterns like an employee viewing records of patients not under their care. The provider might also encrypt data during transit and storage, while conducting regular penetration testing to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.

7. Accountability

Accountability places the responsibility for data protection squarely on the organization that controls what data is collected and how it is stored, used, and shared. This principle transforms privacy from a one-time checkbox into an ongoing governance requirement. Organizations must actively monitor their practices and provide evidence when requested by regulators.

The GDPR explicitly states that data controllers must be “responsible for, and able to demonstrate compliance with,” all data protection principles. Organizations must take several actions towards this principle, including but not limited to:

• maintaining detailed records of processing activities
• conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) for high-risk operations
• appointing a Data Protection Officer (DPO) where the regulation mandates it
• entering into Data Processing Agreements (DPA) when working with third-party processors that require them to maintain equivalent data protections

The CCPA/CPRA also emphasizes accountability, especially for businesses that engage in high-risk data processing. These companies must complete annual cybersecurity audits and submit regular risk assessments to the CPPA. 

The law also mandates that businesses establish contracts with service providers and contractors to set limits on data use and mandate security protections.

Other data privacy laws take a similar approach. Brazil’s LGPD includes accountability as a named principle and defines it as the controller’s obligation to demonstrate compliance with data protection rules. South Africa’s POPIA lists accountability as its first condition, requiring the responsible party to meet all of the law’s requirements. Canada’s PIPEDA also opens with accountability as a foundational principle, requiring organizations to adopt policies and practices that uphold data privacy principles.

Accountability isn’t demonstrated through a single action or small set of actions. Rather, a proactive approach is necessary. Continuously documenting, monitoring, and improving privacy practices — rather than merely reacting to problems — is the way to achieve true accountability.

How Usercentrics CMP can help with upholding the data privacy principles

The Usercentrics CMP provides tools that help businesses apply core principles of data privacy in a practical, scalable way. Its features are designed to make consent management easier to implement across different regions and use cases.

• Customizable, geotargeted cookie banners support the transparency principle by enabling businesses to clearly explain what data is collected and why. Our cookie banners include region-specific options, like obtaining explicit consent per the GDPR, or the CCPA/CPRA mandated “Do Not Sell Or Share My Personal Information” link.
• Granular consent settings align with the purpose limitation principle by enabling businesses to collect data for clearly defined purposes. If new purposes are introduced later, the CMP enables businesses to request new consent, preventing the repurposing of data without proper notice or approval.
• Our automated scanner supports the data minimization principle. It detects and blocks nonessential or noncompliant tracking technologies unless and until valid consent is given where legally required. This helps you limit data collection to what is strictly necessary.
• The CMP supports integrity and confidentiality when data is only collected when appropriate consent has been obtained, reducing unauthorized or unexpected processing risks
• Consent logs and automatic legal updates promote accountability by providing a clear audit trail and helping keep practices aligned with current laws.

Usercentrics does not provide legal advice, and information is provided for educational purposes only. We always recommend engaging qualified legal counsel or privacy specialists regarding data privacy and protection issues and operations.