henkilötietojen

Henkilötietojen refers to personal data in Finnish, the genitive plural form of henkilötieto, used in phrases describing information about a person. Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (data subject). This can include direct identifiers such as a name or ID number, as well as data that, alone or together with other details, can reveal someone’s identity, such as IP addresses, location data, or unique online identifiers.

Legal framework: The processing of personal data in the European Union is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In Finland, GDPR is implemented through national data protection legislation. The rules require a lawful basis for processing, such as consent, contract necessity, legal obligation, vital interests, public task, or legitimate interests. Data must be collected for specified, explicit purposes and kept no longer than necessary.

Rights and obligations: Data subjects have rights including access to their data, rectification of inaccuracies, erasure (the right to be forgotten), restriction of processing, data portability, and the right to object to certain processing or automated decision-making. Organizations must provide clear privacy notices and obtain consent where required.

Security and transfers: Processing must employ appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This includes data minimization, pseudonymization, encryption, and access controls. If data is transferred outside the EU/EEA, transfers must receive adequate safeguards or meet other GDPR transfer mechanisms.

Impact: For individuals, these rules aim to give control over personal information and protect privacy. For organizations, compliance requires governance, documentation of processing activities, and incident response planning; violations can lead to enforcement actions and fines.