Fortroligheds

Fortroligheds is a Danish term connected to the obligation to keep information private and not disclose it to unauthorized parties. The core concept is that certain information is sensitive or legally protected, and may only be shared under specific conditions. In practice, fortrolighed is often translated as confidentiality, and fortroligheds- forms appear in compound nouns such as fortrolighedsforpligtelse (duty of confidentiality), fortrolighedsbrud (breach of confidentiality) and fortrolighedsrammer (confidentiality framework).

Fortroligheds obligations arise in many contexts: professional secrecy in medicine, law, psychology and social work; corporate or organizational secrecy for trade secrets or client information; and data protection regimes in which personal data must be handled with appropriate security and access controls. In the European Union and Denmark, confidentiality is governed by a combination of professional codes, data protection legislation such as GDPR and the Danish Databeskyttelsesloven; there are often explicit statutory exceptions that permit disclosure, for example to protect safety, to fulfill a legal obligation, or with consent from the data subject.

Breach of confidentiality can undermine trust and may have legal consequences, including disciplinary action or civil liability. Organizations use technical and administrative measures—such as access control, encryption, training, and confidentiality agreements—to protect information. Respect for fortrolighed is central to relations between professionals and clients, employers and employees, and between journalists and confidential sources.