Purpose Limitation
The principle that personal data should only be collected for specified, explicit purposes and not processed in ways incompatible with those purposes.
Also known as: Purpose Specification, Use Limitation, Purpose Binding
Category: Principles
Tags: privacy, data-protection, principles, compliance, ethics
Explanation
Purpose limitation is a foundational data protection principle requiring that personal data be collected only for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes, and not further processed in a manner incompatible with those original purposes. It's one of the seven key principles of GDPR and appears in privacy frameworks worldwide.
Core requirements:
1) Specification - purposes must be determined before collection, not decided later
2) Explicitness - purposes must be clearly articulated, not vague or open-ended
3) Legitimacy - purposes must have a valid legal basis
4) Compatibility - any new uses must align with original purposes
Assessing compatibility for new purposes:
- Link between original and proposed purposes
- Context and relationship with individuals
- Nature of the data (sensitive data = stricter limits)
- Consequences for individuals
- Existence of appropriate safeguards
Examples of purpose limitation in practice:
- Customer data collected for order fulfillment shouldn't be used for unrelated marketing without consent
- Employee data for payroll shouldn't be shared with third parties for credit scoring
- Health data collected for treatment shouldn't be sold to advertisers
Exceptions exist for archiving in public interest, scientific/historical research, and statistical purposes, provided appropriate safeguards are in place.
Benefits: prevents function creep and mission creep with data, maintains trust with individuals, limits exposure in case of breaches, and forces organizations to think carefully about why they need data.
Implementation: document purposes at collection time, review before new uses, implement technical controls limiting access by purpose, and train staff on purpose boundaries.
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