Sweden's data protection in comparison to the GDPR

General overview

In Sweden, data protection regulation is primarily governed by the Swedish Data Protection Act. While there are many overlaps with the GDPR, there are also some national peculiarities that businesses should take into account.

GDPR opening clauses

Sweden has only partially utilized the opening clauses of the GDPR. This means that many of the standards defined in the GDPR are applied directly, but there are also some specific Swedish regulations.

Key differences and national specifics

Access requests

In Sweden, there are specific regulations for access requests from data subjects. Companies must ensure that they handle these requests in accordance with national provisions.

Consent

Special attention should be paid to obtaining consent from employees and especially from children. Sweden has specific regulations in this regard that may deviate from the GDPR.

E-Marketing and online data protection

While the GDPR provides general guidelines for e-marketing and online data protection, new regulations through the ePrivacy Regulation are pending in Sweden. Companies should keep an eye on this and ensure they stay up to date with developments.

Data subject rights

Sweden has some specific regulations concerning the rights of data subjects that businesses should be aware of.

Data security and data breaches

Although many of the GDPR guidelines are applied directly, Sweden has specific provisions for reporting data breaches that companies need to be aware of.

Conclusion

While Sweden has adopted many of the GDPR guidelines directly, there are also some national peculiarities. Companies operating in Sweden or conducting business with Swedish citizens should ensure that they fully understand and comply with both the GDPR and the Swedish Data Protection Act.