eyðingaréttur

Eyðingaréttur, often translated as the "right to erasure" or "right to be forgotten," is a legal concept that grants individuals the right to request the deletion of their personal data under certain circumstances. This right is most prominently enshrined in data protection regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union.

The core principle behind eyðingaréttur is to give individuals more control over their personal information in the digital age. It allows people to ask organizations to remove data that is no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected, has been unlawfully processed, or when consent for processing is withdrawn. There are specific grounds on which this right can be exercised, and it is not absolute. For instance, organizations may retain data if it is required for legal obligations, public interest, or for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims.

Implementing eyðingaréttur involves organizations establishing clear procedures for handling data deletion requests. This includes verifying the identity of the requester, assessing the validity of the grounds for erasure, and taking appropriate steps to remove the data from their systems and any third parties to whom it may have been disclosed. The right aims to balance individual privacy with the legitimate needs of organizations to process data.