As a member of the European Union, Latvia's data protection landscape is primarily governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU) 2016/679). Additionally, Latvia has its own national law, the Personal Data Processing Law, which came into force in July 2018, providing the legal prerequisites for the implementation of the GDPR in Latvia. Together, these laws establish stringent rules for the processing of
Definition of Personal Data: Both the GDPR and Latvian law turkey phone number library unequivocally define phone numbers as "personal data." This means their collection, storage, and use are subject to strict legal requirements.
Lawfulness, Fairness, and Transparency: All processing of personal data must adhere to these core principles. This implies that individuals must be clearly informed about how their phone numbers will be used and processing must have a valid legal basis (e.g., consent, contract, legitimate interest).
Prior, Explicit Consent: For most marketing and commercial prospecting activities, prior, explicit, and informed consent from the individual is a strict requirement. This is a crucial deterrent to the creation and use of unsolicited phone number lists. Consent must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous.
Purpose Limitation and Data Minimization: Phone numbers can only be collected for specific, legitimate purposes, and only the data necessary for that purpose should be collected.
Data Subject Rights: Individuals in Latvia (and the EU) have extensive rights over their personal data, including:
Right of Access: To know what data is being held about them.
Right to Rectification: To correct inaccurate data.
Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): To request deletion of their data under certain circumstances.
Right to Object: To the processing of their data, particularly for direct marketing