Security & GDPR
GDPR and data: a practical guide for leadership
What the GDPR requires when exploiting data, what responsibility falls on leadership and how to work with sensitive data without losing control or compliance.
Read articleKey takeaways
- The DGA creates a European framework to share data with confidence.
- It regulates data intermediaries as neutral third parties.
- It promotes reuse of public data and data altruism.
- It is complementary to the GDPR and the Data Act.
- It opens value from shared data with legal guarantees.
Sharing data between companies and with the public sector can generate enormous value, but it clashes with distrust and legal risk. The Data Governance Act seeks to make that exchange happen with guarantees, creating the trust infrastructure that was missing.
What it is
The Data Governance Act (DGA) is a European regulation creating a framework to share data safely and voluntarily, regulating data intermediaries and promoting the reuse of public-sector data and "data altruism".
What it introduces
- Data intermediaries: neutral third parties that ease exchange without appropriating the data.
- Public data reuse: conditions to reuse protected public-sector data.
- Data altruism: voluntarily sharing data for the general interest.
- Confidence: rules that reduce the risk of sharing.
Intermediaries
NeutralNo appropriation
Public data
ReuseConditions
Altruism
VoluntaryPublic interest
How it fits with other rules
The DGA does not replace the GDPR or the Data Act: it complements them. The GDPR protects personal data; the Data Act governs access to product data; and the DGA creates the trust infrastructure to share them. Together they form the framework of the European data economy.
What it means for your company
The DGA opens the door to gaining value from shared data — from other companies, intermediaries or the public sector — with a clear legal framework. Leveraging it requires the ability to integrate and govern external data securely, which a managed data layer eases.
The DGA creates the missing trust infrastructure for sharing data between organisations safely.
In summary
The Data Governance Act creates a trust framework to share data safely in Europe — neutral intermediaries, public-data reuse and data altruism. It is the third piece, alongside the GDPR (protection) and Data Act (access), of the European data economy, opening value from external data with legal guarantees.
Sources & further reading
Frequently asked questions
Is the DGA the same as the Data Act?
No. The DGA creates the trust and intermediary framework for sharing data; the Data Act governs access to data generated by products. They are complementary.
What is a data intermediary?
A neutral third party that eases data exchange between parties without appropriating it, under the DGA rules.
How do I leverage the DGA?
With the ability to integrate and govern external data securely, gaining value from shared data with legal guarantees.
What is data altruism?
A framework letting people and companies share data voluntarily for the general interest (research, public health), with safeguards on its use.
How does it fit with the GDPR and Data Act?
They are the three pieces of the European data framework: the GDPR protects personal data, the Data Act governs product-data access, the DGA enables trusted sharing.
What do I need to use shared data?
The ability to integrate and govern external data securely — a managed data layer makes enriching your data with external sources easier and safer.
Turn this data into results
Tell us what you want to achieve. Data Layer connects, processes and delivers the result up and running, with no infrastructure for you to manage.