Data sharing and transactions

This subtopic discusses the processing and sharing of personal data by controllers and processors (as defined below) under the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation, Assimilated Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the UK GDPR). It also links to guidance relating to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the EU GDPR) that remains applicable in the EEA, since those data protection regimes will often need to be considered together. This Overview provides a high-level introduction to the subtopic and signposts more detailed guidance housed within it.

Assimilated law is the name given to retained EU law (REUL) which remains in force after the end of 2023. The re-categorisation of REUL (and associated terms) to assimilated law reflects a change in its status and treatment under UK law, in that it is generally to be interpreted according to ordinary domestic law and principles.

From 1 January 2024, REUL is ‘assimilated’ into domestic law by virtue of the fact it is generally stripped of EU-derived interpretive effects (eg supremacy of EU law, directly effective rights, and general principles previously retained under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018). For