What Engineers Must Know
GDPR is not just a legal problem — it requires deep technical implementation across your entire data stack.
Key Technical Controls
- Data Mapping: Maintain a living inventory of every data category, storage location, and processor.
- Right to Erasure: Build deletion pipelines that propagate across primary databases, backups, and third-party processors.
- Consent Management: Implement granular consent records with timestamps, version tracking, and withdrawal mechanisms.
// Pseudocode: Erasure pipeline triggernasync function deleteUserData(userId) {n await db.users.delete({ id: userId });n await searchIndex.remove(userId);n await analyticsService.anonymize(userId);n await auditLog.record("GDPR_ERASURE", userId);n}