Data Protection becomes increasingly important, especially in the digital world. Data Protection by Design and by Default (“DPbDD”) plays a critical role in this connection and has been enshrined in Article 25 the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). Data Protection by Design requires that data protection principles are to be taken into consideration at the earliest stage of the design process, while Data Protection by Default should ensure that, by default, only personal data that are necessary for each purpose of the processing are processed.
Even though Article 25 GDPR specifically addresses data controllers (e.g. companies or public administrations using software for processing personal data), developers may find it useful to get familiar with DPbDD requirements for creating GDPR compliant software that enables data controllers to fulfill their data protection obligations. This could possibly lead to competitive advantages over competitors who do not design their products with data protection principles in mind.
