A call-centre staffer asks who the “data subject” is when a CRM row…

Question

A call-centre staffer asks who the “data subject” is when a CRM row concerns a deceased relative. Which GDPR-focused answer is correct?

Accepted Answer

Under the GDPR, a data subject is the identified or identifiable natural person to whom personal data relates; the Regulation focuses on living natural persons, while Member State law may address deceased persons separately. — GDPR’s spotlight is on living people. A deceased relative is generally outside that GDPR “data subject” frame, though national law might still say something about the dead. The living customer in the next field is the classic data subject.

Answer

Deceased persons are the primary data subjects under GDPR with the same Chapter III rights as living customers.

Answer

Only companies and public authorities can be data subjects; natural persons never are.

Answer

Data subject status attaches only to EU supervisory authority staff, not to customers.

A call-centre staffer asks who the “data subject” is when a CRM row concerns a deceased relative. Which GDPR-focused answer is correct?

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Full Explanation