OneTrust Certified Privacy Professional Practice Exam

What constitutes "special categories of personal data" according to the GDPR?

1. Data about financial history

2. Data revealing racial or ethnic origin, health data, sexual orientation

3. Data related to employment status

4. Only financial data

The correct answer is: Data revealing racial or ethnic origin, health data, sexual orientation

The definition of "special categories of personal data" as outlined in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) focuses specifically on sensitive types of information that require heightened protection due to their potential impact on an individual's fundamental rights and freedoms. These special categories include data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data for uniquely identifying a person, health data, or data concerning a person's sex life or sexual orientation. Option B is correct because it encompasses several of these sensitive types of data, specifically highlighting racial or ethnic origin and health data, as well as sexual orientation. The special treatment these categories receive under GDPR aims to safeguard individuals against discrimination, privacy violations, and the potential misuse of such sensitive information. In contrast, the other options include types of data that do not fall into the specially protected categories under GDPR. Financial history, employment status, and general financial data deal with personal information that, while still important, do not carry the same level of sensitivity as those outlined in the special categories. Thus, they are not subject to the same stringent restrictions as special categories of personal data.