# Definitions 4(9) — GDPR — provision context

> Focused context for a single provision (4(9)), curated from overview.legal on 2026-08-22. Canonical: https://overview.legal/laws/gdpr/art-4#par-9
> Verify against the official text (EUR-Lex / wetten.overheid.nl) before relying on it.

Part of **Definitions** (GDPR, full article: https://overview.legal/laws/gdpr/art-4).

## Provision text

### 4(9)

‘recipient’ means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or another body, to which the personal data are disclosed, whether a third party or not. However, public authorities which may receive personal data in the framework of a particular inquiry in accordance with Union or Member State law shall not be regarded as recipients; the processing of those data by those public authorities shall be in compliance with the applicable data protection rules according to the purposes of the processing;


## Topics on this provision

- **Public Authority** — https://overview.legal/topics/overheid
  Government bodies and their data processing activities
- **Public Sector** — https://overview.legal/topics/public-sector
  Processing by public authorities
- **Personal Data** — https://overview.legal/topics/persoonsgegevens
  Information relating to identified or identifiable natural persons
- **Recipient** — https://overview.legal/topics/recipient
  A person or body to which personal data are disclosed (Art 4(9) GDPR).

## Cited by (exact-provision citations)

- **GC - T-318/24** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/122878
- **Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 4 October 2024.#Agentsia po vpisvaniyata v OL.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Varhoven administrativen sad.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Publication in the commercial register of a company’s constitutive instrument containing personal data – Directive (EU) 2017/1132 – Non-compulsory personal data – Lack of consent of the data subjec** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/132161
- **Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 22 June 2023.#Proceedings brought by J.M.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Itä-Suomen hallinto-oikeus.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Articles 4 and 15 – Scope of the right of access to information referred to in Article 15 – Information contained in log data – Article 4 – Definition of ‘personal data’ – Definition of ‘recipients’ – Temporal application.#Case C-579/21.** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/132284
- **Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 17 June 2021.#Mircom International Content Management & Consulting (M.I.C.M.) Limited v Telenet BVBA.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Ondernemingsrechtbank Antwerpen.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Intellectual property – Copyright and related rights – Directive 2001/29/EC – Article 3(1) and (2) – Concept of ‘making available to the public’ – Downloading of a file containing a protected work via a peer-to-peer network and the simultaneous** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/132322
- **Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 22 June 2023.#Proceedings brought by J.M.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Itä-Suomen hallinto-oikeus.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Articles 4 and 15 – Scope of the right of access to information referred to in Article 15 – Information contained in log data – Article 4 – Definition of ‘personal data’ – Definition of ‘recipients’ – Temporal application.#Case C-579/21.** ¶47 (case-law, Court of Justice of the European Union) — https://overview.legal/posts/132284
- **Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 17 June 2021.#Mircom International Content Management & Consulting (M.I.C.M.) Limited v Telenet BVBA.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Ondernemingsrechtbank Antwerpen.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Intellectual property – Copyright and related rights – Directive 2001/29/EC – Article 3(1) and (2) – Concept of ‘making available to the public’ – Downloading of a file containing a protected work via a peer-to-peer network and the simultaneous** ¶126 (case-law, Court of Justice of the European Union) — https://overview.legal/posts/132322
- **Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 4 October 2024.#Agentsia po vpisvaniyata v OL.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Varhoven administrativen sad.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Publication in the commercial register of a company’s constitutive instrument containing personal data – Directive (EU) 2017/1132 – Non-compulsory personal data – Lack of consent of the data subjec** ¶70 (case-law, Court of Justice of the European Union) — https://overview.legal/posts/132161
- **Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 4 October 2024.#Agentsia po vpisvaniyata v OL.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Varhoven administrativen sad.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Publication in the commercial register of a company’s constitutive instrument containing personal data – Directive (EU) 2017/1132 – Non-compulsory personal data – Lack of consent of the data subjec** ¶69 (case-law, Court of Justice of the European Union) — https://overview.legal/posts/132161
- **EDPB-EDPS Joint Opinion 03/2021 on the Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on European data governance (Data Governance Act)** (guidance) — https://overview.legal/posts/126050
- **Guidelines 01/2022 on data subject rights - Right of access** (guidance) — https://overview.legal/posts/38055
- **Guidelines 8/2020 on the targeting of social media users** (guidance) — https://overview.legal/posts/38073
- **Opinion 22/2024 on certain obligations following from the reliance on processor(s) and sub-processor(s)** (guidance) — https://overview.legal/posts/125715

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Generated by overview.legal · https://overview.legal/laws/gdpr/art-4#par-9 · 2026-08-22