Data Privacy Compliance

Comprehensive guidance for implementing data privacy compliance across GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, and other global data protection regulations.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Implementing GDPR, CCPA, or HIPAA compliance
• Conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA)
• Managing data subject rights (access, deletion, portability)
• Implementing consent management systems
• Drafting privacy policies and notices
• Handling data breaches and incident response
• Designing privacy-by-design systems
• Conducting privacy audits and assessments

Key Regulations Overview

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

Scope: EU residents' data, regardless of where company is located Key Requirements:

• Lawful basis for processing (consent, contract, legitimate interest, etc.)
• Data subject rights (access, deletion, portability, objection)
• Data Protection Impact Assessments for high-risk processing
• 72-hour breach notification requirement
• Records of processing activities
• Privacy by design and by default

Penalties: Up to €20M or 4% of global annual revenue

CCPA/CPRA (California Consumer Privacy Act)

Scope: California residents' data Key Requirements:

• Right to know what data is collected
• Right to delete personal information
• Right to opt-out of sale/sharing
• Right to correct inaccurate information
• Right to limit use of sensitive personal information

Penalties: Up to $7,500 per intentional violation

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)

Scope: Protected Health Information (PHI) in the US Key Requirements:

• Privacy Rule (patient rights and information uses)
• Security Rule (safeguards for ePHI)
• Breach Notification Rule (60-day notification)
• Business Associate Agreements (BAAs)

Penalties: Up to $1.5M per violation category per year

Data Subject Rights Implementation

1. Right to Access (GDPR Art. 15 / CCPA § 1798.100)

Request Handler:

async function handleAccessRequest(userId, email) {
  // Verify identity
  const verified = await verifyIdentity(email);
  if (!verified) throw new Error('Identity verification failed');

  // Collect all personal data
  const userData = await collectUserData(userId);

  // Format for readability
  const report = {
    personalInfo: userData.profile,
    activityLogs: userData.activities,
    preferences: userData.settings,
    thirdPartySharing: userData.dataSharing,
    retentionPeriod: '2 years from last activity',
    dataProtectionOfficer: '[email protected]'
  };

  // Generate downloadable report
  const pdf = await generatePDFReport(report);

  // Log request for compliance
  await logAccessRequest(userId, 'completed');

  return pdf;
}

Response Timeline:

• GDPR: 1 month (extendable to 3 months)
• CCPA: 45 days (extendable to 90 days)

2. Right to Deletion (GDPR Art. 17 / CCPA § 1798.105)

Deletion Handler:

async function handleDeletionRequest(userId, email) {
  // Verify identity
  const verified = await verifyIdentity(email);
  if (!verified) throw new Error('Identity verification failed');

  // Check for legal obligations to retain
  const mustRetain = await checkRetentionRequirements(userId);
  if (mustRetain.required) {
    return {
      status: 'partial_deletion',
      retained: mustRetain.data,
      reason: mustRetain.legalBasis,
      retentionPeriod: mustRetain.period
    };
  }

  // Delete from all systems
  await Promise.all([
    deleteFromDatabase(userId),
    deleteFromBackups(userId), // Mark for deletion in next backup cycle
    deleteFromAnalytics(userId),
    deleteFromThirdPartyServices(userId),
    revokeAPIKeys(userId),
    anonymizeHistoricalRecords(userId)
  ]);

  // Confirm deletion
  await sendDeletionConfirmation(email);
  await logDeletionRequest(userId, 'completed');

  return { status: 'deleted', timestamp: new Date() };
}

Exceptions (when deletion can be refused):

• Legal obligations (tax records, contracts)
• Public interest/scientific research
• Defense of legal claims
• Exercise of freedom of expression

3. Right to Data Portability (GDPR Art. 20)

Export Handler:

async function handlePortabilityRequest(userId, format = 'json') {
  const userData = await collectUserData(userId);

  // Structure in machine-readable format
  const portableData = {
    exportDate: new Date().toISOString(),
    userId: userId,
    data: {
      profile: userData.profile,
      content: userData.userGeneratedContent,
      settings: userData.preferences,
      history: userData.activityHistory
    }
  };

  // Support multiple formats
  if (format === 'csv') {
    return convertToCSV(portableData);
  } else if (format === 'xml') {
    return convertToXML(portableData);
  }

  return portableData; // JSON by default
}

Requirements:

• Structured, commonly used, machine-readable format
• Ability to transmit directly to another controller
• Only applies to data provided by data subject
• Only for automated processing based on consent or contract

4. Right to Object (GDPR Art. 21)

Objection Handler:

async function handleObjectionRequest(userId, processingType) {
  switch (processingType) {
    case 'direct_marketing':
      // Must stop immediately
      await disableMarketing(userId);
      await updateConsent(userId, 'marketing', false);
      break;

    case 'legitimate_interest':
      // Assess if we have compelling grounds
      const assessment = await assessLegitimateInterest(userId);
      if (!assessment.compelling) {
        await stopProcessing(userId, processingType);
      }
      return assessment;