What counts as 'special category' data?
'Special category’ data is personal data that's more sensitive because there could be significant risks posed to an individual's rights and freedoms if it's lost or stolen. Therefore, this kind of data needs more protection.
It includes personal data that reveals:
- Racial or ethnic origin
- Political opinions
- Religious or philosophical beliefs
- Trade union membership
And data concerning:
- Genetic information
- Biometrics (such as fingerprints, retina and iris patterns), where used for identification purposes
- Health – physical or mental
- Sex life
- Sexual orientation
Information that reveals details about an individual, could be for example:
- The name and gender of a person's spouse, which would reveal the person's sexual orientation
- A photograph, which could reveal some of the above characteristics of a person
Conditions for processing special category data
A lawful basis. You need a reason to 'justify' processing any personal data under Article 6 of the UK GDPR. See our article on which lawful