Individual rights: dataprotection.ie/individuals

    The rights of individuals under the GDPR are the same as those under the Data Protection Acts, but with some significant enhancements:

    • The rules for dealing with subject access requests have changed under the GDPR. The timescale for processing such requests has shortened, dropping significantly from the current 40-day period to a maximum of one month. There are some grounds for refusing to grant an access request, such as where a request is deemed manifestly unfounded or excessive. However, we are required to have clear refusal policies and procedures in place, and demonstrate why the request meets these criteria.
    • The University will provide additional information to people making requests, such as our data retention periods and the right to have inaccurate data corrected.

    Individual rights include:

    • The right to obtain access to personal data. Data subjects have the right to be provided with copies of their personal data along with certain details in relation to the processing of their personal data.
    • The right to information. Data subjects have the right to be provided with certain information, generally at the time at which their personal data is obtained. Maynooth University complies with this obligation via its data protection/privacy notices.
    • The right to rectification. Data subjects have the right to have inaccurate personal data that a controller holds in relation to them rectified.
    • The right to object and restrict processing. Data subjects have the right to require that a controller restricts its processing of their data in some circumstances, and have the right to object to the processing of their personal data in certain circumstances.
    • Rights in relation to automated decision making. Data subjects have the right not to be subjected to processing which is wholly automated and which produces legal effects or otherwise which significantly affects them, and which is intended to evaluate certain personal matters, such as creditworthiness or performance at work, unless one of a number of limited exceptions applies.
    • The right to request erasure of personal data. Under certain circumstances a data subject has the right to request the erasure of their personal data.​

    Maynooth University has reviewed and updated existing policies and created new policies policies and procedures to ensure they cover all the rights that individuals now have under the new legislation. 

    Updated 29th August 2022