{"id":60508,"date":"2026-01-27T11:12:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T10:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/?p=60508"},"modified":"2026-01-27T11:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T10:34:11","slug":"europejski-dzien-ochrony-danych-osobowych-po-co-nam-rodo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/en\/europejski-dzien-ochrony-danych-osobowych-po-co-nam-rodo\/","title":{"rendered":"European Data Protection Day &#8211; Why Do We Need GDPR?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">GDPR is often associated with pop-up cookie banners and long privacy notices that few people actually read. In reality, however, it is about something much more important:\u00a0<strong>control over our own personal data<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Personal data has become one of the most valuable resources of the modern world. We use it every day when enrolling in courses, logging into university systems, using mobile applications, social media or online banking. Many of these activities are performed automatically, without reflecting on what happens to our data &#8220;behind the scenes&#8221;. This is where the GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation, comes into play. Its purpose is not to complicate everyday life or create unnecessary bureaucracy, but to\u00a0<strong>ensure real protection and control over information that relates to us<\/strong>. Every day we leave digital traces by logging into systems, publishing photos or sending messages. GDPR was introduced to ensure that such data does not fall into the wrong hands and is used only when there is a legitimate reason to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>What is personal data?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Personal data is not limited to name and surname. It includes any information that allows a natural person to be identified, directly or indirectly. This may include an email address, student ID number, image, IP address, location data or information contained in student records. In the digital world, the boundary between &#8220;ordinary information&#8221; and personal data is increasingly blurred.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>GDPR in the academic environment<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Universities, like other public institutions, process large amounts of personal data. This includes data related to recruitment, the course of studies, scholarships, internships, scientific research and electronic communication. GDPR requires such data to be processed\u00a0<strong>lawfully, for clearly defined purposes and only to the extent necessary<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">This means, among other things, that:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">students&#8217; data may not be disclosed to unauthorised persons,<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">information must be adequately protected,<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">students have the right to know how their data is used.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Rights of individuals<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">One of the key principles of GDPR is strengthening the position of individuals whose data is processed. Everyone has the right, among others, to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">access their personal data,<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">have inaccurate data corrected,<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">restrict processing in certain situations,<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Request erasure where there is no legal basis for further processing.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">These are practical tools that allow individuals to better protect their privacy, also in relations with large institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Data protection as a fundamental right<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Personal data protection is not merely a technical or administrative issue. It is an essential element of protecting fundamental rights and freedoms, such as the right to privacy, informational self-determination and security. In an increasingly digital world, the importance of these values continues to grow.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p class=\"v1v1v1MsoPlainText\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">European Data Protection Day is a good opportunity to remind ourselves that\u00a0<strong>GDPR is not an obstacle, but a shield<\/strong>\u00a0protecting our privacy in a world that relies more and more on data.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GDPR is often associated with pop-up cookie banners and long privacy notices that few people actually read. In reality, however, it is about something much more important:\u00a0control over our own personal data. Personal data has become one of the most valuable resources of the modern world. We use it every day when enrolling in courses, [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/en\/europejski-dzien-ochrony-danych-osobowych-po-co-nam-rodo\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":187,"featured_media":60511,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[19,26],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60508"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/187"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60508"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60514,"href":"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60508\/revisions\/60514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.edu.pl\/student\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}