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Data & privacy

GDPR: export & erasure

When a contact asks for their data or asks to be forgotten, you need to answer cleanly and provably. Climails gives you a one-shot export of everything you hold, a true erasure that nullifies personal data while keeping an audit trail, and a consent record behind every opt-in.

6 min read

What you'll need

  • Admin access to handle data subject requests

Export everything you hold

Fulfil a data-access request with a single export. You get one structured JSON bundle for the contact.

  • The contact profile and all fields.
  • Channel identities (email, phone, etc.).
  • Consent records — when and how they opted in.
  • Recent events and messages associated with them.

Erase on request

Erasure does the right thing: it removes the person's identifiable data while preserving a minimal, non-identifying audit record so you can prove the request was honored.

  • Personal fields are nullified and the contact is marked deleted.
  • Channel identities are removed and consents revoked.
  • A suppression is added (reason gdpr_erasure) so the contact can't be re-imported and messaged by accident.
  • An audit log entry (gdpr.erasure) is retained as proof.
Erasure is irreversible by design — that's the point of the right to be forgotten. Export first if the contact also wants a copy of their data.

Consent records

Every opt-in stores the evidence regulators ask for, so consent is never just a checkbox you can't account for.

  • opt_in_at / opt_out_at — when consent was given or withdrawn.
  • The IP address and user agent captured at opt-in.
  • Per-channel consent, so email and SMS permissions are tracked separately.

Frequently asked questions

Does erasure delete the audit trail too?

No — it nullifies personal data but keeps a non-identifying audit entry (gdpr.erasure) so you can prove the request was carried out.

Can an erased contact be re-imported by mistake?

No — erasure adds a suppression (reason gdpr_erasure), so even if the address is re-imported it won't be messaged.

What proof of consent do I have?

Each opt-in stores the timestamp, IP and user agent, per channel — the evidence you need if consent is ever challenged.

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GDPR data export, right to erasure & consent records — Climails