law-gdpr-pdpa

Data Privacy Compliance (GDPR & Taiwan PDPA)

Overview

Data privacy law governs how organizations collect, process, store, and share personal data. GDPR (EU) is the global benchmark; Taiwan's PDPA (個人資料保護法) applies domestically. Both share core principles but differ in scope, enforcement, and specific requirements.

Framework

IRON LAW: No Collection Without Legal Basis

You CANNOT collect or process personal data just because you want to.
Every data processing activity requires a legal basis:
- GDPR: 6 legal bases (consent, contract, legal obligation, vital interests, public task, legitimate interests)
- Taiwan PDPA: Specific purposes listed in the act, with consent as primary basis

"We need this data for analytics" is NOT a legal basis.

GDPR vs Taiwan PDPA Comparison

Aspect	GDPR	Taiwan PDPA
Scope	Any org processing EU residents' data	Any org processing personal data in Taiwan
Legal bases	6 enumerated bases	Consent-centric + specific purpose limitation
Consent standard	Freely given, specific, informed, unambiguous, opt-in	Written consent required for sensitive data; implied consent possible for non-sensitive
Data subject rights	Access, rectification, erasure, portability, restriction, objection	Access, correction, deletion, cessation of processing
Cross-border transfer	Adequacy decision, SCCs, BCRs	Requires central authority approval or adequate protection
Breach notification	72 hours to authority	Report to authority + notify affected individuals "without delay"
Penalties	Up to €20M or 4% global turnover	Up to NT$500K per violation (criminal penalties possible)
DPO required?	Yes (in certain cases)	Not explicitly required

Compliance Assessment Steps

1. Data inventory: What personal data do you collect, process, and store?
2. Legal basis audit: What legal basis justifies each processing activity?
3. Purpose limitation: Is data used only for the stated purpose?
4. Data minimization: Are you collecting only what's necessary?
5. Storage limitation: How long is data retained? Is there a deletion policy?
6. Security measures: Are appropriate technical and organizational measures in place?
7. Rights fulfillment: Can you respond to data subject rights requests?
8. Cross-border transfers: Does data leave the jurisdiction? Under what mechanism?
9. Breach response: Is there a breach notification procedure?

Output Format

# Privacy Compliance Assessment: {Organization}

## Data Inventory
| Data Category | Types | Legal Basis | Purpose | Retention |
|-------------|-------|-------------|---------|-----------|
| {category} | {specific fields} | {basis} | {why collected} | {period} |

## Compliance Gaps
| Requirement | Status | Gap | Priority |
|------------|--------|-----|----------|
| Legal basis | ✓/✗ | {detail} | H/M/L |
| Consent mechanism | ✓/✗ | ... | ... |
| Data subject rights | ✓/✗ | ... | ... |
| Breach notification | ✓/✗ | ... | ... |
| Cross-border transfer | ✓/✗ | ... | ... |

## Remediation Plan
1. {action} — priority: {H/M/L} — timeline: {X weeks}

Examples

Correct Application

Scenario: Privacy assessment for a Taiwanese e-commerce site selling to EU customers

• Applies: Both PDPA (Taiwan customers) AND GDPR (EU customers)
• Gap found: Cookie consent banner only says "By using this site you agree to cookies" → Fails GDPR (not freely given, not specific, no opt-out for non-essential cookies). Must implement granular cookie consent with opt-in for marketing cookies ✓
• Gap found: Customer data shared with logistics partner in China without cross-border transfer mechanism → Fails both GDPR (no adequacy/SCC) and PDPA (no authority approval)

Incorrect Application

• "We're a Taiwan company, GDPR doesn't apply to us" → GDPR applies to ANY organization processing EU residents' data, regardless of where the organization is located. If you sell to EU customers or monitor EU users' behavior, GDPR applies.

Gotchas

• Consent is not always the best legal basis: Under GDPR, "legitimate interests" may be more appropriate than consent for some processing (e.g., fraud prevention). Consent can be withdrawn, creating operational complexity.
• "Anonymous" data may not be anonymous: If data can be re-identified by combining with other datasets, it's pseudonymous, not anonymous, and still subject to privacy law.
• Taiwan PDPA covers public and private sector: Unlike GDPR which primarily targets private sector, PDPA applies to government agencies as well.
• Privacy by design, not afterthought: Both GDPR and best practice require considering privacy at the system design stage, not bolting it on later.
• This is educational guidance, not legal advice: Privacy compliance requires a qualified data protection specialist familiar with applicable jurisdictions.

References

• For GDPR Article-by-article reference, see references/gdpr-articles.md
• For Taiwan PDPA implementation guide, see references/taiwan-pdpa.md