Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten)
An individual's right under GDPR to request deletion of their personal data.
The right to erasure, also known as the 'right to be forgotten,' is established in GDPR Article 17. It gives individuals the right to request deletion of their personal data when: the data is no longer necessary for its original purpose, consent is withdrawn and there is no other legal basis, the individual objects to processing and there are no overriding legitimate grounds, the data has been unlawfully processed, or deletion is required by law. However, this right is not absolute — exceptions exist for: exercising freedom of expression, compliance with legal obligations, public health purposes, archiving in the public interest, and establishment or defense of legal claims. Organizations must also inform other controllers who have received the data about the erasure request.