european-union vehicle gdpr
Does vehicle information count as personal data?
<p>Does a car’s registration number count as personal data under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation?</p>

<p>How about the VIN? (Vehicle Identification Number)</p>

<p>In Germany it's not so clear:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.lfd.niedersachsen.de/themen/datenschutz_im_kfz/kfz-und-datenschutz-148981.html" rel="noreferrer">https://www.lfd.niedersachsen.de/themen/datenschutz_im_kfz/kfz-und-datenschutz-148981.html</a></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The situation is different with regard to personal data collected in
  connection with the vehicle. Data is personal if it relates to a
  "specific person" or at least to an "identifiable person". A person is
  "identifiable" if, for example, he or she can be identified via the
  vehicle identification number or other additional knowledge. The
  Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) therefore applies in these cases.
  The BDSG in turn contains a clear statement: the data "belong" to the
  data subject. Related to the motor vehicle: The data "belong" to the
  driver or owner of the vehicle.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>As far as I understand it the registration number and VIN are both information about a vehicle and not about a person, and therefore on their own would not qualify as personal data under GDPR.</p>
<p>Vehicle owner information such as name, address etc would be classed as personal data if stored/processed, as would driver information such as license details, endorsements, captured photos/CCTV where the driver can be identified etc.</p>
<p>For reference the definition of 'personal data' in GDPR is:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;(1) 'personal data' means any information <strong>relating to an identified or identifiable natural person ('data subject')</strong>; an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person;&quot;</p>
<p><a href="http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679" rel="nofollow noreferrer">EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)</a> Article 4 ('Definitions') Paragraph 1, p.33</p>
</blockquote>
