Guideline
Guidelines 01/2025 on Pseudonymisation
- Date
- Status
- adopted
- Body
- European Data Protection Board (EDPB)
- Reference
- Guidelines 01/2025, versie voor publieke consultatie
What it is about
The EDPB explains what pseudonymisation is, that pseudonymised data remain personal data and how pseudonymisation helps with security, data protection by design and the balancing test for legitimate interest. The annex contains ten worked examples. Adopted on 16 January 2025 as a version for consultation (consultation from 17 January to 14 March 2025). On 15 September 2026 the EDPB site shows no final version.
What this means in practice
You must keep the key or additional information separately and securely and record who can access it. Pseudonymisation is a measure you can rely on in a DPIA and a balancing test, but the GDPR continues to apply in full. In processing agreements you can agree that the processor only receives pseudonymised data.
The GDPR articles concerned
- Article 4: Definitions
- Article 6: Lawfulness of processing
- Article 11: Processing which does not require identification
- Article 25: Data protection by design and by default
- Article 32: Security of processing
- Article 89: Safeguards and derogations relating to processing for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes
Source: EDPB public consultation pagechecked on 15 September 2026
Summary and practical reading by Praxikon. Not legal advice; the source prevails.
Connections
What connects to this development
Themes where this returns
The counterpart in the other law
- Article 3 AI Act: Definitions
- Article 5 AI Act: Prohibited AI practices
- Article 6 AI Act: Classification rules for high-risk AI systems
- Article 9 AI Act: Risk management system
- Article 10 AI Act: Data and data governance
- Article 11 AI Act: Technical documentation
- Article 15 AI Act: Accuracy, robustness and cybersecurity
- Article 16 AI Act: Obligations of providers of high-risk AI systems
- Article 25 AI Act: Responsibilities along the AI value chain
- Article 26 AI Act: Obligations of deployers of high-risk AI systems
- Article 50 AI Act: Transparency obligations for providers and deployers of certain AI systems
Case law8 of 13
- Council of State: 600,000 euro fine for wifi tracking in Enschede stays annulled
2026-07-29 · final, Raad van State, Afdeling bestuursrechtspraak
- Gelderland District Court: bankruptcy trustee is controller, DPA fine for unsecured hard drive cut to 58,125 euros
2025-08-07 · status not established, Rechtbank Gelderland
- Overijssel District Court revokes DPA fine for wifi tracking in Enschede
2024-02-02 · final, Rechtbank Overijssel
- EU Court of Justice in KNLTB: a purely commercial interest can be a legitimate interest
2024-10-04 · final, Hof van Justitie van de Europese Unie
- Noord-Nederland District Court upholds DPA fine for village livestream, reduces it to 375 euros
2025-01-09 · status not established, Rechtbank Noord-Nederland
- IAB Europe: the TC String is personal data and the industry body is a joint controller
2024-03-07 · final, Hof van Justitie van de EU (Vierde kamer), IAB Europe tegen Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit (België)
- EDPS v SRB: pseudonymised data are not always personal data for everyone, but the information duty applies from collection
2025-09-04 · final, Hof van Justitie van de EU (Eerste kamer), Europese Toezichthouder voor gegevensbescherming (EDPS) tegen Gemeenschappelijke Afwikkelingsraad (SRB)
- Mousse: asking for Mr or Ms when selling a train ticket is not necessary
2025-01-09 · final, Hof van Justitie van de EU (Eerste kamer), Mousse tegen Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL) en SNCF Connect
Guidelines8 of 13
- Opinion 28/2024 on certain data protection aspects related to the processing of personal data in the context of AI models
2024-12-17 · final, European Data Protection Board (EDPB)
- Guidelines 4/2019 on Article 25 Data Protection by Design and by Default
2020-10-20 · final, European Data Protection Board (EDPB)
- Guidelines 05/2020 on consent under Regulation 2016/679
2020-05-04 · final, European Data Protection Board (EDPB)
- Dutch DPA (AP) publishes position paper on the Digital Omnibus and the AI Omnibus
2026-01-13 · final, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens
- Guidelines 02/2026 on Anonymisation
2026-07-07 · under consultation, European Data Protection Board (EDPB)
- Guidelines 01/2021 on Examples regarding Personal Data Breach Notification
2021-12-14 · final, European Data Protection Board (EDPB)
- Guidelines 07/2020 on the concepts of controller and processor in the GDPR
2021-07-07 · final, European Data Protection Board (EDPB)
- Guidelines 03/2026 on web scraping in the context of generative AI
2026-07-07 · under consultation, European Data Protection Board (EDPB)
Enforcement and fines8 of 10
- Coolblue fined 40,000 euros on objection for cookies without consent
2024-12-23 · status not established, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens
- HAN University of Applied Sciences fined 175,000 euros for inadequate security
2025-12-15 · final, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens
- Dutch DPA and tennis federation KNLTB end litigation: fine cut from 525,000 to at most 250,000 euros
2025-10-18 · status not established, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens
- 600,000 euro fine for AS Watson (Kruidvat) over tracking cookies without consent
2024-05-02 · annulled, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens
- 500 euro fine and penalty order for Stichting Oud Lemmer over webcam livestream
2021-07-09 · status not established, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens
- DPA cuts Kruidvat fine to 50,000 euros on objection
2025-05-27 · status not established, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens
- Ten municipalities fined a total of 250,000 euros for unlawful files on Muslim residents
2026-02-03 · final, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens
- Experian Netherlands fined 2.7 million euros for credit scoring without legal basis or information
2025-10-16 · final, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens
Legislation in motion6 of 10
- Proposal: definition of scientific research, purpose limitation and information duty for research (Article 4(38), 5(1)(b) and 13(5) GDPR)
2025-11-19 · under negotiation, Europese Commissie
- Council: Irish Presidency continues with a revised compromise, Antici Group 11 September 2026
2026-09-11 · under negotiation, Raad van de Europese Unie, Iers voorzitterschap
- Proposal: cookie rules move from ePrivacy to the GDPR, with new exceptions and a six-month rule (new Article 88a GDPR and Article 5(3) ePrivacy)
2025-11-19 · under negotiation, Europese Commissie
- Proposal: relative definition of personal data (Article 4(1) GDPR)
2025-11-19 · proposal, Europese Commissie
- European Parliament: joint ITRE-LIBE draft report, amendments tabled, no committee vote yet
2026-06-22 · under negotiation, Europees Parlement, commissies ITRE en LIBE (gezamenlijke commissie)
- Proposal: exception for biometric verification under the data subject's sole control (Article 9(2)(l) GDPR)
2025-11-19 · proposal, Europese Commissie