// THREAT DETECTION AND DATA PRIVACY TERM
Legitimate Interest
This is a legal justification under privacy laws like GDPR for an organization to process personal data without consent, provided the processing is necessary for its purposes and doesn't override the individual's rights. The organization must balance its needs against the potential impact on the person's privacy.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Legitimate interest is a lawful basis for processing personal data under GDPR Article 6(1)(f), where a data controller justifies data use based on a necessary and proportionate business or commercial purpose. Its validity requires a three-part balancing test, or Legitimate Interest Assessment (LIA), weighing the controller's interest against the fundamental rights, freedoms, and reasonable expectations of the data subject.
BACKGROUND
Computer security is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It focuses on protecting computer software, systems, and networks from threats that can lead to unauthorized information disclosure, theft, or damage to hardware, software, or data, as well as to the disruption or misdirection of the services they provide.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- lawful basis
- business purpose
- balancing test
- LIA
- GDPR Article 6(1)(f)
- legitimate purpose
USAGE NOTE
Unlike consent, this basis requires the organization to conduct and document a 'balancing test' to justify the data processing activity.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Legitimate Interest.
Develops a comprehensive privacy, security, and governance platform that helps organizations manage compliance with regulations like GDPR. The technology specifically enables companies to conduct and document Legitimate Interest Assessments (LIAs) to justify data processing for purposes like network security and fraud prevention.
Provides a cloud-native endpoint security platform (Falcon) that processes vast amounts of telemetry data to detect and prevent cyberattacks. This data processing for cybersecurity is a primary example of using Legitimate Interest as a legal basis to protect networks and systems.
Develops security platforms like Cortex XDR that analyze extensive network, cloud, and endpoint data to identify and respond to threats. The technology's function relies on processing this data under the legitimate interest of securing their customers' digital environments.
Offers a data privacy management platform that helps businesses automate and manage privacy compliance. Its technology provides frameworks and tools for documenting the legal basis for data processing activities, including the balancing tests required for Legitimate Interest in cybersecurity contexts.
Develops a data intelligence platform that automates the discovery, classification, and management of sensitive and personal data. This technology is foundational for organizations to understand what data they hold, enabling them to confidently apply Legitimate Interest as a basis for security processing.
A threat intelligence company whose platform collects and analyzes massive amounts of data from open, dark, and technical sources. This processing is essential for identifying and mitigating cyber threats for their clients and is conducted under the legitimate interest of enhancing cybersecurity.
Provides a data platform widely used for Security Information and Event Management (SIEM). The technology is designed to ingest and analyze machine data (e.g., logs, network traffic) for security monitoring and incident response, activities that are quintessential examples of processing justified by legitimate interest.
Offers a 'Data Command Center' platform for unified data controls across privacy, security, and governance. The technology automates the mapping of data and links it to processing activities, helping organizations manage and document their reliance on legitimate interest for security operations.