Collection and processing in Italy
EU regulation
Data Protection Principles
Controllers are responsible for compliance with a set of core principles which apply to all processing of personal data. Under these principles, personal data must be (Article 5):
- processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner (the "lawfulness, fairness and transparency principle");
- collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes (the "purpose limitation principle");
- adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purpose(s) (the "data minimization principle");
- accurate and where necessary kept up to date (the "accuracy principle");
- kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purpose(s) for which the data are processed (the "storage limitation principle"); and
- processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, using appropriate technical and organizational measures (the "integrity and confidentiality principle").
The controller is responsible for and must be able to demonstrate compliance with the above principles (the "accountability principle"). Accountability is a core theme of the GDPR. Organisations must not only comply with the GDPR but also be able to demonstrate compliance perhaps years after a particular decision relating to processing personal data was taken. Record keeping, audit and appropriate governance will all form a key role in achieving accountability.
Legal Basis under Article 6
In addition, in order to satisfy the lawfulness principle, each use of personal data must be justified by reference to an appropriate basis for processing. The legal bases (also known lawful bases or lawful grounds) under which personal data may be processed are (Article 6(1)):
- with the consent of the data subject (where consent must be "freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous", and must be capable of being withdrawn at any time);
- where necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party, or to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract;
- where necessary to comply with a legal obligation (of the EU) to which the controller is subject;
- where necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject or another person (generally recognised as being limited to 'life or death' scenarios, such as medical emergencies);
- where necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller; or
- where necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests of the controller or a third party (which is subject to a balancing test, in which the interests of the controller must not override the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject. Note also that this basis cannot be relied upon by a public authority in the performance of its tasks).
Special Category Data
Processing of special category data is prohibited (Article 9), except where one of the following exemptions applies (which, in effect, operate as secondary bases which must be established for the lawful processing of special category data, in addition to an Article 6 basis):
- with the explicit consent of the data subject;
- where necessary for the purposes of carrying out obligations and exercising rights under employment, social security and social protection law or a collective agreement;
- where necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject or another natural person who is physically or legally incapable of giving consent;
- in limited circumstances by certain not-for-profit bodies;
- where processing relates to the personal data which are manifestly made public by the data subject;
- where processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or where courts are acting in their legal capacity;
- where necessary for reasons of substantial public interest on the basis of Union or Member State law, proportionate to the aim pursued and with appropriate safeguards;
- where necessary for preventative or occupational medicine, for assessing the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, provision of health or social care or treatment of the management of health or social care systems and services;
- where necessary for reasons of public interest in the area of public health, such as protecting against serious cross-border threats to health or ensuring high standards of health care and of medical products and devices; or
- where necessary for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes in accordance with restrictions set out in Article 89(1).
Member States are permitted to introduce domestic laws including further conditions and limitations for processing with regard to processing genetic data, biometric data and health data.
Criminal Convictions and Offences data
Processing of personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences is prohibited unless carried out under the control of an official public authority, or specifically authorised by Member State domestic law (Article 10).
Processing for a Secondary Purpose
Increasingly, organisations wish to 're-purpose' personal data – i.e. use data collected for one purpose for a new purpose which was not disclosed to the data subject at the time the data were first collected. This is potentially in conflict with the core principle of purpose limitation; to ensure that the rights of data subjects are protected. The GDPR sets out a series of factors that the controller must consider to ascertain whether the new process is compatible with the purposes for which the personal data were initially collected (Article 6(4)). These include:
- any link between the original purpose and the new purpose;
- the context in which the data have been collected;
- the nature of the personal data, in particular whether special categories of data or data relating to criminal convictions are processed (with the inference being that if they are it will be much harder to form the view that a new purpose is compatible);
- the possible consequences of the new processing for the data subjects;
- the existence of appropriate safeguards, which may include encryption or pseudonymisation.
If the controller concludes that the new purpose is incompatible with the original purpose, then the only bases to justify the new purpose are consent or a legal obligation (more specifically an EU or Member State law which constitutes a necessary and proportionate measure in a democratic society).
Transparency (Privacy Notices)
The GDPR places considerable emphasis on transparency, i.e. the right for a data subject to understand how and why his or her data are used, and what other rights are available to data subjects to control processing. The presentation of granular, yet easily accessible, privacy notices should, therefore, be seen as a cornerstone of GDPR compliance.
Various information must be provided by controllers to data subjects in a concise, transparent and easily accessible form, using clear and plain language (Article 12(1)).
The following information must be provided (Article 13) at the time the data are obtained:
- the identity and contact details of the controller;
- the data protection officer's contact details (if there is one);
- both the purpose for which data will be processed and the legal basis for processing, including, if relevant, the legitimate interests for processing;
- the recipients or categories of recipients of the personal data;
- details of international transfers;
- the period for which personal data will be stored or, if that is not possible, the criteria used to determine this;
- the existence of rights of the data subject including the right to access, rectify, require erasure, restrict processing, object to processing and data portability;
- where applicable, the right to withdraw consent, and the right to complain to supervisory authorities;
- the consequences of failing to provide data necessary to enter into a contract;
- the existence of any automated decision making and profiling and the consequences for the data subject; and
- in addition, where a controller wishes to process existing data for a new purpose, they must inform data subjects of that further processing, providing the above information.
Somewhat different requirements apply (Article 14) where information has not been obtained from the data subject.
Rights of the Data Subject
Data subjects enjoy a range of rights to control the processing of their personal data, some of which are very broadly applicable, whilst others only apply in quite limited circumstances. Controllers must provide information on action taken in response to requests within one calendar month as a default, with a limited right for the controller to extend this period thereby a further two months where the request is onerous.
Right of access (Article 15)
A data subject is entitled to request access to and obtain a copy of his or her personal data, together with prescribed information about the how the data have been used by the controller.
Right to rectify (Article 16)
Data subjects may require inaccurate or incomplete personal data to be corrected or completed without undue delay.
Right to erasure ('right to be forgotten') (Article 17)
Data subjects may request erasure of their personal data. The forerunner of this right made headlines in 2014 when Europe’s highest court ruled against Google (Judgment of the CJEU in Case C-131/12), in effect requiring Google to remove search results relating to historic proceedings against a Spanish national for an unpaid debt on the basis that Google as a data controller of the search results had no legal basis to process that information.
The right is not absolute; it only arises in quite a narrow set of circumstances, notably where the controller no longer needs the data for the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise lawfully processed, or as a corollary of the successful exercise of the objection right, or of the withdrawal of consent.
Right to restriction of processing (Article 18)
Data subjects enjoy a right to restrict processing of their personal data in defined circumstances. These include where the accuracy of the data is contested; where the processing is unlawful; where the data are no longer needed save for legal claims of the data subject, or where the legitimate grounds for processing by the controller are contested.
Right to data portability (Article 20)
Where the processing of personal data is justified either on the basis that the data subject has given his or her consent to processing or where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract, then the data subject has the right to receive or have transmitted to another controller all personal data concerning him or her in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format (e.g. commonly used file formats recognised by mainstream software applications, such as .xsl).
Right to object (Article 21)
Data subjects have the right to object to processing on the legal basis of the legitimate interests of the data controller or where processing is in the public interest. Controllers will then have to suspend processing of the data until such time as they demonstrate “compelling legitimate grounds” for processing which override the rights of the data subject.
In addition, data subjects enjoy an unconditional right to object to the processing of personal data for direct marketing purposes at any time.
The right not to be subject to automated decision making, including profiling (Article 22)
Automated decision making (including profiling) "which produces legal effects concerning [the data subject] … or similarly significantly affects him or her" is only permitted where:
- necessary for entering into or performing a contract;
- authorised by EU or Member State law; or
- the data subject has given their explicit (i.e. opt-in) consent.
Further, where significant automated decisions are taken on the basis of grounds (a) or (c), the data subject has the right to obtain human intervention, to contest the decision, and to express his or her point of view.
The Data Act
The Regulation on harmonized rules on fair access to and use of data (Data Act) has been approved on January 11th 2024. This regulation puts obligations on manufacturers and service providers to let their users, both companies and individuals, access and reuse data generated by the use of their products or services and share such data to third parties. It also improves data portability in all economic sectors.
Italy regulation
Article 2-ter of the Privacy Code (as amended by Law Decree 139/2021) provides that, in case of processing of personal data for reasons of public interest or in connection with the exercise of public powers, the legal basis may also derive from a general administrative act. In such cases where it is necessary to disseminate or communicate personal data to other subjects for reasons of public interest or in connection with the exercise of public powers, it will be required to notify the Garante at least 10 days before the start of the communication or dissemination.
Furthermore, since Law Decree 139/2021 repealed Article 2-quinquiesdecies, the Garante is no longer entitled to prescribe the data controller to adopt measures and precautions to safeguard the data subjects for data processing that pose a high risk for the same, in case of processing of personal data performed for reasons of public interest or in connection with the exercise of public powers.
Article 2-sexies of the Privacy Code specifies that the processing of special category data necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest is allowed insofar as the processing is provided for by European or domestic legislation, or, as recently introduced by the Law Decree 139/2021, by a general administrative act. This legislation must identify the reasons of public interest for which the processing is carried out, the types of data that can be processed, the operations that can be performed and the appropriate and specific measures protecting the fundamental rights and interests of the data subjects. In this context, the Privacy Code underlines that processing of genetic data, biometric data or data concerning health shall comply with additional requirements to be identified by the Garante by means of specific measures establishing further conditions in which the data processing is permitted.
With regard to personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences, Article 2-octies of the Privacy Code provides that the processing can be carried out only if a specific legal provision authorizes the processing, also identifying the applicable security measures, otherwise processing activities have to be carried out under the control of a public authority.
With regard to individuals’ rights, Art. 2-undecies of the Privacy Code provides several restrictions on data subjects’ rights for reasons of justice. In particular, data subjects rights may be exercised within the limits established in the law and regulations on the proceeding and procedures before the courts. The exercise of such rights may be delayed, limited or excluded for as long as and to the extent that it is a necessary and proportionate measure, having regard to the fundamental rights and legitimate interests of the data subject. Finally, the Privacy Code sets out data protection rights of deceased persons. Indeed, the rights provided for in Articles 15 through 22 of the GDPR referring to personal data concerning deceased persons may be exercised by those having an interest of their own, or act to protect the data subject, as her / his delegate, or for family reasons worthy of protection. The exercise of such rights is not permitted when provided for by the law or when, specifically limited to the offer of information society services, the data subject expressly prohibited it in writing by way of a declaration sent to the data controller. The data subject may withdraw or modify such declaration at any time.
Law 193/2023 introduced in Italy the "right to be forgotten for cancer survivors". According to the provisions, banks, insurance companies, and employers – both in the public and private sectors – cannot ask for information about oncological diseases from which a person has recovered, provided that treatment ended more than ten years ago (or five years if the illness occurred before the age of 21) and there have been no recurrences. For employers this prohibition applies both during the hiring process and throughout the employment relationship. The goal is to prevent discrimination that could negatively affect the employment or financial conditions of those who have recovered. Moreover, banks, credit institutions, insurance companies, and financial and insurance intermediaries have to provide clear and adequate information regarding the right to be forgotten for cancer survivors. This obligation includes explicitly mentioning this right in the forms and documents specifically prepared and used for establishing and renewing contracts.
With reference to processing of personal data in the workplace environment, in 2024 the Garante issued Guidelines regarding the management of email programs and services within the workplace, specifically addressing employees’ email metadata processing. According to the Garante, employers are prohibited from retaining email metadata pertaining to the date, time, sender, recipient, subject, and size of employees' emails for more than 21 days, extensions beyond this period, would be permissible where there is a proven and documented need justifying the extension. Should organizations seek to extend the retention period beyond the specified limit, they are required to enter into an agreement with Trade Unions or obtain authorization from the Local Labour Office as well as implement other privacy-related measures, including (i) update the privacy information notice for employees, specifically setting out the applicable data retention period; (ii) carry out a data protection impact assessment (DPIA); (iii) perform a legitimate interest assessment (LIA); and (iv) update the data retention policy.
