Right to rectification

The right to rectification allows a data subject to have inaccurate personal data corrected and incomplete data completed. It covers information relating to the person that is processed by a controller. A request should identify the relevant data as precisely as possible and explain which wording or information is correct or complete.

The organisation must be able to assign the request to the right person and may need to verify the requester’s identity in an appropriate way. The request does not need to follow a particular legal form. Clear information about the relevant records, the requested correction and any supporting evidence makes practical implementation easier. The right to rectification is distinct from the right of access, the right to erasure and the restriction of processing.

The controller must rectify the data without undue delay and must generally communicate the rectification to recipients to whom the data were disclosed, unless this is impossible or involves disproportionate effort. Businesses therefore need a traceable intake process, a review of the systems concerned and documentation of the implementation. The data subject rights and access topic places rectification within the wider process for handling data subject requests.