Data requests 'costing businesses thousands each year', research suggests

25 Nov 2021

An analysis carried out by the Data Privacy Group has revealed that UK businesses are spending between £72,000 and £336,000 per year handling data subject access requests (DSARs).

DSARs are made by individuals seeking to view the information a company has on them. Each DSAR is worth around £1,000.

The analysis suggested that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to a rise in DSARs as a result of businesses having to alter the way they provided their services.

Commenting on the issue, Peter Borner, Co-Founder of the Data Privacy Group, said: 'Over the course of the pandemic, we have seen a rise in the number of DSARs being made, which in our experience is often the result of unhappy employees or customers.

'By enlisting the support of an operationalised privacy program, business owners can be confident they are managing their incoming requests in an efficient and compliant way.'