Which principle emphasizes that personal data collection should be limited to what is necessary?

The principle that emphasizes limiting personal data collection to what is necessary is known as data minimization. This principle is crucial in data protection and privacy frameworks, asserting that organizations should only collect the data that is essential to fulfill a specified purpose. By adhering to data minimization, organizations not only comply with legal requirements, but also build trust with their customers by respecting their privacy.

Data minimization encourages organizations to assess their data needs critically and resist the temptation to gather excessive data that may not be used or could lead to privacy risks. This practice ultimately supports ethical data handling and enhances data security by reducing the volume of sensitive data in circulation.

On the other hand, data portability refers to allowing individuals to transfer their personal data between different platforms, consent involves obtaining permission from individuals before collecting or processing their data, and accountability refers to the responsibility of organizations to ensure compliance with data protection regulations. While all these principles are important in the context of data privacy, data minimization specifically targets the limitation of data collected to what is strictly necessary.