# CJEU: processing personal data liable to disclose indirectly sexual orientation constitutes processing of special categories of personal data

- Type: News
- Source: CJEU
- Date: 2022-10-28
- Original: https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=263721&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=1413173#entry-1189
- Canonical: https://overview.legal/posts/6330
- Topics: Special Categories of Data, Healthcare, Personal Data, Types of Special Categories of Personal Data, Profiling, Processing, Pseudonymization

## Summary

In 'Vyriausioji Tarnybinės Etikos Komisija' the CJEU held that the name of civil servants' spouse, cohabitant or partner and of the subject of their transactions (indirectly sexual orientation) are special categories of personal data. The Court relies on the broad definition of "data concerning health" in article [4(15) GDPR](https://docs.legal.digital/gdpr/#article-4) & the guidance in [Recital 35](https://docs.legal.digital/gdpr/#rec35) to highlight that context must be taken into account when

## Full text

In 'Vyriausioji Tarnybinės Etikos Komisija' the CJEU held that the name of civil servants' spouse, cohabitant or partner and of the subject of their transactions (indirectly sexual orientation) are special categories of personal data. The Court relies on the broad definition of "data concerning health" in article 4(15) GDPR & the guidance in Recital 35 to highlight that context must be taken into account when interpreting what constitutes "special categories of data" & extrapolates to sexual orientation data.https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=263721&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=1413173

## Cited law provisions (1)

### GDPR — gdpr-art-4-par-15-en

‘data concerning health’ means personal data related to the physical or mental health of a natural person, including the provision of health care services, which reveal information about his or her health status;

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