BDSG - Bundesdatenschutzgesetz (Germany)

Official Name

BSDG or Bundesdatenschutzgesetz translated as the Federal Data Protection Act

Details About the BDSG

The bill has been in effect since January 1, 1978. 

The German Bundesdatenschutzgesetz (BDSG) is a federal data protection act, that together with the data protection acts of the German federated states and other area-specific regulations, governs the exposure of personal data, which is manually processed or stored in IT systems.

Overview of the BDSG:

• First section: General and common rules
• Second section: Data processing by public bodies
• Third section: Data processing by non-public bodies and public competitor companies
• Fourth section: Special provisions
• Fifth section: Criminal and civil penalty provisions
• Sixth section: Transitional provisions

Resources About the BSDG:

• Official legislation here
• A legal perspective here