El Salvador Phone Number Lists and GDPR Compliance: A Complex Landscape
Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 10:00 am
The question of whether phone number lists from El Salvador are "GDPR-compliant" is complex, as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a European Union law. Its direct applicability depends on where the data is processed and, crucially, where the data subjects (the individuals whose phone numbers are on the list) are located. Simply having a phone number list from El Salvador does not automatically make it subject to or compliant with GDPR. However, El Salvador has recently enacted its own robust data protection law, which shares many similarities with GDPR principles, adding another layer of consideration.
GDPR primarily applies to the processing of personal data of individuals located within the European Economic Area (EEA), regardless of where the data controller or processor is based. This means if you are collecting, using, or storing phone numbers of individuals el-salvador phone number list who are residents of an EU/EEA country, even if those numbers are from El Salvador, then GDPR would likely apply to your activities. For instance, if a business in Germany obtains a list of phone numbers from El Salvador and those numbers belong to German citizens, then the processing of that data must adhere to GDPR's strict requirements for consent, transparency, data minimization, and data subject rights.
Furthermore, El Salvador recently enacted its Personal Data Protection Law (Legislative Decree No. 144), which came into effect on November 23, 2024. This new law signifies a significant step for El Salvador in aligning with international data protection standards. It establishes principles such as informed consent, purpose limitation, data minimization, transparency, and data subject rights (including access, rectification, cancellation, opposition, portability, oblivion, and limitation – often referred to as ARCO-POL rights). This means that even if GDPR does not directly apply to your specific processing activity, any phone number list originating from or being used within El Salvador must comply with El Salvador's own data protection law.
GDPR primarily applies to the processing of personal data of individuals located within the European Economic Area (EEA), regardless of where the data controller or processor is based. This means if you are collecting, using, or storing phone numbers of individuals el-salvador phone number list who are residents of an EU/EEA country, even if those numbers are from El Salvador, then GDPR would likely apply to your activities. For instance, if a business in Germany obtains a list of phone numbers from El Salvador and those numbers belong to German citizens, then the processing of that data must adhere to GDPR's strict requirements for consent, transparency, data minimization, and data subject rights.
Furthermore, El Salvador recently enacted its Personal Data Protection Law (Legislative Decree No. 144), which came into effect on November 23, 2024. This new law signifies a significant step for El Salvador in aligning with international data protection standards. It establishes principles such as informed consent, purpose limitation, data minimization, transparency, and data subject rights (including access, rectification, cancellation, opposition, portability, oblivion, and limitation – often referred to as ARCO-POL rights). This means that even if GDPR does not directly apply to your specific processing activity, any phone number list originating from or being used within El Salvador must comply with El Salvador's own data protection law.