How long can personal data be retained under GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) establishes clear guidelines regarding the retention of personal data, emphasizing that data should not be kept longer than necessary. In this context, retaining personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected aligns with the principle of data minimization, which is a fundamental aspect of the regulation. This means that organizations must regularly assess the relevance and necessity of the data they hold and ensure that personal data is deleted when it is no longer required for its intended purpose or when the retention period set by law expires.

This approach promotes accountability and assures individuals that their personal data will not be stored indefinitely, thereby supporting their rights under GDPR. The regulation does recognize scenarios where data may need to be retained for compliance, legal obligations, or other justified reasons, but those instances must be clearly defined and limited in scope.

The other options suggest incorrect understandings of data retention under GDPR. Retaining data indefinitely lacks compliance with the regulation's principles. Relying solely on data subjects' requests for deletion doesn't account for the organization’s obligation to assess the necessity of data retention based on business and legal requirements. Additionally, an arbitrary decision by an organization to retain data does not conform to the GDPR's guidelines, as it