glossario

Privacy is another way of saying confidentiality. The protection of personal data is a fundamental right under Article 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. 'Personal data' is any information that identifies or makes identifiable, directly or indirectly, a natural person and that can provide information on his or her characteristics, life style, personal relationships, health status, financial status, and so forth.

Of particular importance are:

• data that make it possible to identify the person directly - such as vital statistics (for example, first and last name), images, etc. - and data that make it possible to identify the person indirectly, such as an identification number (for example, taxpayer ID number, IP address, license plate number);
• special categories of data: 'sensitive data', that is data that reveals a person's racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, political opinions, trade union membership, health or sex life. Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (Article 9) also included the notions of genetic data, biometric data and sexual orientation;
• data relating to criminal convictions and offences: 'legal', that is, data that can reveal the existence of certain legal proceedings entered in the criminal records (for example, definitive criminal convictions, conditional release, residency prohibition or obligation, measures as an alternative to detention) or whether a person is suspected or accused of committing a crime. Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (Article 10) covers data relating to criminal convictions and offences or related security measures.

With the revolution of new technologies, other personal data has become important, such as that relating to electronic communication (via the internet or telephone) and that enabling geolocalization, providing information on places visited and movements.

For further information, visit the site of the Italian Data Protection Authority.

The personal data in the Central Credit Register are obtained by the Bank of Italy without the consent of the customer since the database is managed in the public interest. For more information on the protection of personal data, please consult the dedicated information sheet on the Bank of Italy's website at Servizi al cittadino/Accesso ai dati della CR/ Informativa privacy (only in Italian).