Elementary threats
to data protection.

Exposure can stem from mistakes, insecure settings or attacks in digital and paper-based processes. It compromises the confidentiality of the affected personal data.

Weak access controls, compromised credentials or vulnerabilities can permit retrieval outside an authorised role. Access is a distinct event even if the information is not subsequently disclosed.

Deliberate manipulation, software faults or operating errors can corrupt data without being noticed. Decisions based on the altered records can then disadvantage the person concerned.

The event can involve permanent destruction or temporary loss of access. Technical failures, deletion, malware or physical damage can interrupt processing and the exercise of data subject rights.

Permitted access does not make every subsequent use appropriate. This entry concerns purpose-contrary use within the original processing context, rather than data leaving that context.

The concern is departure from the original processing context. Further use needs to be compatible with the original purpose or supported by another legal basis.

Information gaps and misleading consent processes can prevent informed choices. The consent aspect applies where consent is required for the processing.

Missing retention rules or ineffective deletion processes can leave data available longer than necessary or permissible. Continued storage increases exposure to access, repurposing and misuse.

Untracked copies and complex processing chains can obscure who holds or uses the information. The catalog treats this loss of control both as an event and as a dimension of harm.

Unclear documentation and opaque processes hinder oversight and the exercise of rights. A formal notice can exist while the nature, scope and purpose of the processing remain unintelligible.

Missing processes, unclear responsibilities or system barriers can obstruct requests. The concern includes access, correction, erasure, restriction, objection and portability.

Immutable storage or data memorised by models can make full removal technically difficult. This concerns the ability to erase or rectify, rather than a failure to act when deletion is possible.

The report includes processing and support access where effective safeguards are absent. Such transfers can undermine the affected person's ability to enforce their rights.

Combining ordinary records can reveal sensitive characteristics or produce extensive behavioural profiles. The concern is inappropriate profiling and inference about individuals.

Legal or similarly significant effects make the absence of human scrutiny especially important. Poor data, faulty models and weak opportunities to challenge the decision can compound the risk.

Model queries and privacy attacks can reveal identifiable information or whether someone's data were used in training. This includes sensitive or pseudonymised information.

Fabricated or misleading personal statements can influence later decisions. This differs from corrupting an existing record: the system generates the false assertion itself.

Compromised accounts or synthetic imitations can enable deception and unauthorised acts. The catalog treats impersonation both as a distinct event and as a harm to the person.

Scoring, biased records or the choice of assessment criteria can disadvantage individuals. This can arise from how processing is designed, even without a technical bias in the model.

Even a small fragment of data can affect social standing when redistributed in a new setting. The catalog treats reputational harm as both an event and a consequence when assessing severity.

This entry focuses primarily on the harm experienced by the individual. It is treated as an event only where the disadvantage results directly from processing.