Data protection
Rules governing the lawful, fair and secure processing of personal data, giving individuals rights and organisations compliance duties.
Data protection regulates how personal data may be collected, used, disclosed, stored and deleted. It requires a lawful and transparent purpose, proportional processing, appropriate security and respect for individual rights such as access, correction and, in certain contexts, objection or deletion. In Switzerland, the Federal Act on Data Protection and cantonal rules apply, while EU GDPR requirements may affect Swiss organisations with EU links. Data protection differs from confidentiality and cybersecurity, but overlaps with both when personal information must be kept secret and secure.