Data retention in the UK: How long should you keep data? | Computer Weekly

"It is an oft-asked question: "How long should we keep this data?" But the answer - in the UK at least - is not as clear cut as you might imagine. Often the core principle that dictates retention period compliance is all about what can be reasonably justified - and that you have carefully decided and written down as policy how long you must keep data for, based on a reasonable assessment of the purpose of its processing and retention."

"What laws and regulations affect UK organisations? UK organisations' data compliance is governed by numerous laws and regulations. Core to these are the UK equivalent of GDPR, as enacted by the Data Protection Act (2018), and guidance and directives from the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). Beyond that, there is company law, employment law, health and safety law and so on, all of which come with requirements about data retention."

"the core requirement is that organisations must establish reasonable policies and schedules around each category of data they process. So, for each category they must show: For what purpose they process the data; How long the data must be kept for that purpose; What legal or regulatory requirements stipulate a retention period; That they have in place a periodic review mechanism to check whether data must st"

UK data retention relies on reasonable, documented schedules tied to the purpose of processing rather than fixed statutory durations. The Data Protection Act 2018 and ICO guidance form the core framework but do not prescribe precise retention periods. Organisations must identify each data category, justify processing purposes, state retention durations, note applicable legal or regulatory retention requirements, and implement periodic review mechanisms. Sector-specific laws such as company, employment, and health and safety law add further retention obligations. Retention recommendations exist for many data types, and software tools can support policy implementation and review.

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