Task 3 — Purposes & Legal Basis

"Business purposes" is not a purpose. Be specific — and name the legal basis.

Every processing activity needs a specific purpose and a legal basis that the applicable law accepts. The purpose also limits what you may do with the data later.

How to do it

  • Describe the purpose specifically: "pay salaries and report to tax authorities", not "HR administration"
  • Assign the legal basis the applicable law offers, e.g. contract, legal obligation, legitimate interest or consent
  • Legitimate interest: document the balancing of your interest against the rights of the person
  • No new purposes that are incompatible with the original one — e.g. using applicant data for marketing

Legal basis in your jurisdiction

Switzerland

No general requirement for a legal basis: processing is allowed if it follows the principles. A justification (consent, an overriding private or public interest, or the law) is only needed where processing breaches personality rights, e.g. against the person's express will.

Example: purposes and legal bases

Processing activitySpecific purposeTypical legal basis
PayrollPay salaries, report to tax and social security authoritiesContract and legal obligation
RecruitmentSelect applicants for an open positionSteps before entering into a contract
NewsletterSend product news to subscribersConsent
Video surveillanceProtect the warehouse against theftLegitimate interest, with documented balancing