Know Your Rights
Your data. Your rules.
UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 give you enforceable rights over every organisation that processes your personal data. Here is what you can demand — and what happens when they don't deliver.
Right of access
The heart of this platform. Demand confirmation that an organisation processes your data, a copy of that data, and the full context: purposes, recipients, retention periods, sources and any automated decision-making.
Exercise this right →Right to rectification
If what they hold is wrong or incomplete, they must correct it without undue delay — usually within one month.
Right to erasure
The "right to be forgotten". Where data is no longer needed, consent is withdrawn, or processing was unlawful, you can require deletion.
Right to restriction
Freeze processing while accuracy or objections are being resolved — the data can be stored but not otherwise used.
Right to portability
Receive the data you provided in a structured, machine-readable format, or have it transmitted straight to another provider.
Right to object
Object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to direct marketing — where you object to marketing, they must simply stop.
Automated decisions
Refuse to be subject to purely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects, and demand human review.
Right to complain
If an organisation fails you, complain to the ICO. Our escalation tool drafts the complaint for you, pre-filled with the evidence.
What a complete response must include
Under Article 15, a proper response is more than a data dump. The organisation must provide all of the following — and every letter our builder generates demands each one expressly:
The statutory clock
Request received
The one-month clock starts the day the organisation receives your request — no fee, no forms, any channel.
Identity check (if reasonable)
They may pause the clock only while awaiting genuinely necessary ID. Attach ID up front to remove the excuse.
Deadline — or a justified extension
They must respond, or explain within the first month why they need up to two more (complexity or volume only).
Enforcement territory
ICO complaint, court order, compensation. Our dashboard flags the moment a request goes overdue and drafts the complaint.
Questions people actually ask
How long do they have to respond?
One calendar month from receipt of your request (UK GDPR Article 12(3)). They may extend by up to two further months for complex or numerous requests, but must tell you within the first month, with reasons. We track this deadline for every request you send.
Can they charge me?
No — the first copy is free. A "reasonable fee" is only allowed for manifestly unfounded or excessive requests (for example, repeated identical requests), or for additional copies.
Can they ask for ID?
Yes, where they have reasonable doubts about your identity — but only what is necessary and proportionate. Volunteering ID with your request (our builder supports this, without ever storing it on our servers) removes their most common reason to delay.
What can they refuse?
They can withhold data that would expose another person's information, legally privileged material, and data covered by specific exemptions (crime prevention, immigration, and others in Schedules 2–4 of the DPA 2018). A refusal must be explained and is challengeable via the ICO.
What if they simply ignore me?
Once the deadline passes you can complain to the ICO, which can order compliance and issue fines. You can also enforce your rights through the courts and claim compensation for damage and distress (Articles 79 and 82).
Does this apply outside the UK?
The EU GDPR mirrors these rights across the EEA, and many other jurisdictions have close equivalents. Our letters cite both UK GDPR and, where applicable, EU GDPR.
This page is general information about data protection law, not legal advice for your specific circumstances.
Ready to put this into practice?
Build a legally precise request in minutes. We send it, track the deadline, and collect the organisation's replies for you.
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT