DSAR solutions
Reduce the cost, complexity and risk of data subject access requests with technology enabled legal support from Cripps.
Data subject access requests made simpler
Data subject access requests (DSARs) can place significant pressure on organisations. Tight deadlines, large volumes of data, inefficient redaction processes and complex disclosure decisions often create a substantial burden for HR, legal, compliance and IT teams.
Our DSAR solutions combine specialist legal expertise with advanced technology and AI assisted review to help you manage requests efficiently and confidently. Whether you need support with a single complex request or a scalable solution for ongoing demand, we can help reduce time, cost and risk while maintaining compliance.
Why organisations are looking for a smarter approach
Employee and customer data is now stored across multiple systems, making it increasingly difficult to identify, review and disclose relevant information within statutory deadlines.
Traditional manual reviews can be costly, time consuming and disruptive. Our technology enabled approach streamlines the process by helping identify relevant information, reduce review volumes and support accurate, defensible decision making.
What makes us different
Many organisations are choosing between legal advisers and technology providers. With Cripps, you benefit from both.
Our data protection specialists work alongside technology and AI enabled review tools to deliver practical, legally robust solutions. This means you receive expert advice on disclosure obligations, exemptions and redactions, together with a more efficient delivery model that helps control costs. Our solution allows you to choose the level of human review based on your budget and risk appetite.
A clear process from request to response
We make the DSAR process easier to manage by bringing structure, legal judgement and technology together from the start. We can help you scope the request, identify and collect relevant data, use AI assisted review to reduce review volumes, apply exemptions and redactions where appropriate, and prepare a compliant response.
Throughout the process, we focus on reducing pressure on your internal teams while helping you meet deadlines and maintain a clear audit trail.
If you are dealing with a DSAR now, or want to reduce the burden before the next request arrives, our team can help you find the right approach.
How we can help
- DSAR readiness reviews
- Employee DSARs
- Data protection compliance
- AI enabled document review
We can provide additional data protection advisory services alongside DSAR support or separately including:
- Support with data breaches and cyber response;
- Responding to regulatory investigations;
- Support with litigation, disputes and mediation;
- Detailed advice about data protection compliance;
- Training regarding DSARs;
- Data protection impact assessments;
- Privacy notices;
- International data transfers and risk assessments; and
- Use of AI in the work place.
Key contacts
Our data protection experience
We helped a client with an employee DSAR involving personal data across multiple sources. Using technology-enabled filtering, we reduced and streamlined the review set before undertaking legal review and redaction. AI-assisted review provided additional assurance, enabling a cost-effective response within a tight deadline.
We assisted a client in the transport sector with a contentious employee DSAR involving complex workplace issues. Using our software to support our legal review and redaction process, we helped to apply appropriate exemptions and redact the documents. This reduced the internal burden on the client’s legal team and helped them to respond to the DSAR efficiently.
We supported a food and drink sector client with a potentially contentious employee DSAR involving more than 34,400 documents. Through a structured, technology-assisted review process, we reduced 34,400 documents to 25 for disclosure, enabling a swift response well within the extended deadline.
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Frequently asked questions
A data subject access request (or DSAR) is a statutory right under the UK GDPR. Individuals can request copies of their personal data. Controllers can rely on some exemptions, but cannot delete data rather than provide it.
Typically the full response should be provided within one month, but that can be extended to take account of requests to clarify the request or verify the requestor’s identity. For complex or multiple requests the controller can also extend that deadline by an additional two months.
Some exemptions can apply, most commonly in relation to third party data (personal data about another individual), legal advice or prejudicing other specific purposes (such as prevention of crime). Just because information reflects poorly on a controller, or would be useful to a requestor, does not mean it can be withheld.
AI can help refine the results of your searches for documents by removing duplicates and identifying documents which don’t include significant personal data. AI can also help redact information which is exempt from a DSAR or which you should not be disclosing as it relates to a third party.
You will be in breach of data protection law, and so may be subject to ICO investigation and enforcement. The requestor may also complain and potentially begin legal proceedings.
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Contact us
If you have a question or need advice, please let us know how we can help.
