The Regulation applies to any business activity, irrespective of its size and scope, since the way concepts of ‘personal data’ and ‘processing’ are defined, it is almost certain that your business activity includes some type of processing of personal data, even if this may not be obvious at first glance or not characterized/considered as a processing of personal data.

Examples of operations processing personal data include, without limitation:

• Retail outlets that process their customers’ personal data, regardless if they operate through physical or online stores.
• Factories
• The entire range of banking transactions
• Sales promotion, marketing and advertising companies
• Travel agencies and services providers
• Tourism services (transfers, hotels, etc.)
• Insurance services
• Research companies
• Private educational organisations
• Shopping centre management companies and, in general, managers of places where natural persons congregate (such as sports grounds, concert venues, etc.)
• Cultural event ticket providers
• Municipalities and local government authorities
• Government agencies, public bodies, bodies whose activities are governed by public law
• Public hospitals, treatment centres, diagnostic centres, etc.

Main concepts and definitions

Personal Data: any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

Processing of Personal data: any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organisation, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction.