The Netherlands’ data protection authority’s strict interpretation of the GDPR’s “legitimate interest” ground for processing data has sparked a wave of criticism from privacy law professionals, local courts and even the European Commission.

While privacy law professionals don’t believe the Dutch interpretation is likely to catch on in other EU nations, what happened in the Netherlands underscores the tensions between local DPAs and the European Commission on interpretations of the GDPR, which will likely prompt more guidance to come out in the near future.

The Dutch Take on Legitimate Interest