Customer personal data databases are often the foundation of a business’s operations. They make it possible to reach potential clients and present them with the company’s tailored offers of goods and services. Importantly, marketing databases can be adapted to the specific nature of a business’s activities – they are used to identify the target group of consumers. Customer databases are also treated as assets that can be traded commercially. Therefore, a business seeking access to such data does not necessarily have to build its own database; instead, it may purchase one or obtain a license to use it.
Handling and selling customer personal data entails a range of legal obligations. A business must obtain its clients’ consent to process their data, as well as separate consent to send commercial offers via electronic means of communication (e.g., email) or by phone. Moreover, the sale of such data triggers what is known as a secondary information obligation: a business that has purchased a database must inform the individuals whose data it has acquired about this legal event.
