Best examples of third-party data sharing examples for GDPR compliance

Practical examples of third-party data sharing examples for GDPR compliance

Let’s start where most lawyers don’t: with real‑world scenarios. When regulators read your privacy policy, they want to see whether a normal person could understand who you share data with and why. These examples of third‑party data sharing examples for GDPR compliance show the level of detail and clarity you should be aiming for.

A common pattern in 2024–2025 enforcement is that vague phrases like “trusted partners” or “service providers” without context are getting companies in trouble. Clear, concrete descriptions are safer.

Example of sharing data with payment processors

One of the cleanest examples of third-party data sharing examples for GDPR compliance is payment processing. Almost every online business uses a third‑party gateway like Stripe, PayPal, Adyen, or a bank merchant service.

Good practice language might look like this:

We share your identification and transaction data (such as name, billing address, order details, and partial payment card information) with our payment processing providers to complete your purchase. These providers act as our data processors and may only use your data according to our written instructions and applicable law.

What regulators expect here:

• Identify the category of third party (payment processor, acquiring bank).
• Describe data categories (name, address, transaction details, last 4 digits of card, not full card number if you never see it).
• State the purpose (to process payments, prevent fraud, comply with financial regulations).
• Explain the role (processor vs controller). Under GDPR, most payment gateways are processors, but some act as independent controllers for anti‑fraud and regulatory obligations.

You can support your analysis with public guidance, for example from the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) or, for general privacy concepts, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on fair information practices.

Marketing and analytics: the best examples regulators actually understand

Marketing and analytics are where many privacy policies fall apart. This is also where you most need strong examples of third-party data sharing examples for GDPR compliance, because regulators have repeatedly fined companies for opaque tracking and ad‑tech practices.

A strong, GDPR‑aligned description might say:

We share online identifiers and usage data (such as IP address, device information, and browsing behavior on our site) with analytics providers to understand how visitors use our services and improve our website. Where legally required, we only activate these tools with your consent. These providers act as independent controllers and may combine your data with information from other websites that use their services.

Why this works:

• It explains what is shared (IP, device, browsing behavior).
• It states why (analytics and service improvement).
• It clarifies legal basis (consent where required under ePrivacy rules and GDPR).
• It labels the provider as a controller, which matches many real‑world ad‑tech setups.

If you use remarketing or ad networks, you should be even more explicit:

With your consent, we share pseudonymous identifiers and limited usage data with advertising partners to show you relevant ads on other websites or apps. These partners may use cookies and similar technologies to track your activity across different services.

The European Data Protection Board and several national regulators have issued opinions on cookie banners and ad‑tech. For a broader privacy law context, the European Union’s official GDPR portal provides accessible guidance.

Real examples include HR and payroll data sharing

Privacy policies often forget employees, but HR is one of the best examples of third-party data sharing examples for GDPR compliance because the data is sensitive and the relationships are clear.

Typical HR third parties include:

• Payroll providers and benefits administrators
• Time‑tracking and scheduling tools
• Background check and screening services
• Occupational health and safety providers

Model language:

If you are an employee or job applicant, we share your identification, contact, employment, and payroll data with HR service providers, such as payroll processors, benefits administrators, and background‑check agencies. These providers use your data only to deliver contracted services, for example to pay your salary, manage benefits, or perform legally required checks.

Where health‑related data is involved (for example, workplace injury reports or accommodation requests), GDPR treats this as a special category. You must be explicit about safeguards and legal bases. For health‑related guidance, U.S. readers often look to resources like CDC.gov and NIH.gov for privacy program examples, even though GDPR is an EU law.

Cloud hosting, IT support, and infrastructure: everyday examples of third-party data sharing

Most organizations now run on cloud infrastructure. That alone creates multiple examples of third-party data sharing examples for GDPR compliance:

• Cloud hosting platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
• Email hosting (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace)
• Customer support ticketing tools
• Data backup and disaster recovery providers

Your policy should acknowledge that these providers may technically access personal data when they host or support your systems.

Sample wording:

We store and process your personal data on cloud‑based infrastructure provided by third‑party hosting and IT service providers. These providers may have limited, logged access to your data when necessary to maintain the security, reliability, and performance of our systems. We use written data processing agreements and, where required, EU Standard Contractual Clauses to protect your information.

This is a textbook example of third‑party data sharing where the third party is a processor. You remain the controller; they follow your instructions.

Data sharing with regulators, law enforcement, and courts

Not all sharing is commercial. Some of the most sensitive examples of third-party data sharing examples for GDPR compliance involve public authorities:

• Tax authorities requesting transaction records
• Law enforcement seeking IP logs or account details
• Courts ordering disclosure of documents in litigation

Your privacy policy should explain that this can happen, but also that you do not volunteer data without a legal basis.

Example language:

We may share your personal data with public authorities, law enforcement agencies, regulators, or courts when we are legally required to do so, or when disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others. Whenever possible, we review such requests carefully and limit the scope of data we provide.

This aligns with general government transparency principles seen in many jurisdictions. For instance, U.S. agencies like the Department of Justice publish privacy‑related materials that, while not GDPR‑specific, reflect similar accountability expectations.

Health and wellness services: sensitive examples of third-party data sharing

If you operate in health, wellness, or medical research, your examples of third-party data sharing examples for GDPR compliance need extra care. You are likely processing health data, which is highly protected under GDPR.

Common third parties include:

• Telehealth platforms and video providers
• Electronic health record (EHR) vendors
• Labs and diagnostic services
• Appointment scheduling tools
• Patient communication and reminder services

A good description might be:

If you use our health‑related services, we may share your health information and contact details with telehealth platforms, electronic health record providers, and diagnostic laboratories to provide care, manage your appointments, and deliver test results. We only share the minimum data each provider needs, and we use additional safeguards required for health data.

While GDPR is separate from U.S. laws like HIPAA, many organizations look at resources from Mayo Clinic or WebMD to see how large health platforms describe data sharing with third‑party providers.

International transfers and third‑country recipients

Another area where examples of third-party data sharing examples for GDPR compliance really matter is international data transfers. If your third parties are outside the European Economic Area (EEA), you must explain:

• Which regions or countries are involved (for example, United States, India, United Kingdom).
• What transfer tools you use (Standard Contractual Clauses, adequacy decisions, Binding Corporate Rules).
• What additional safeguards you apply (encryption, access controls, minimization).

You might write:

Some of our service providers and group companies are located outside the European Economic Area. When we share your personal data with recipients in countries that do not have an adequacy decision from the European Commission, we use Standard Contractual Clauses and implement additional safeguards to protect your information.

This is a modern, 2024‑2025 reality: global tech stacks almost always involve cross‑border sharing. Being explicit in your privacy policy is no longer optional if you want to avoid complaints.

Turning these scenarios into policy‑ready examples

So how do you turn all of these scenarios into practical, policy‑ready examples of third-party data sharing examples for GDPR compliance?

A straightforward structure that works well in privacy policies is to group third‑party sharing into categories, then provide one or two concrete examples for each.

For instance, you might have sections titled:

• Service providers and processors
• Advertising and analytics partners
• Business partners and affiliates
• Public authorities and legal requests

Within each category, describe:

• Who: category of recipient (not necessarily brand names, unless you choose to list them).
• What: types of data shared (contact details, usage data, payment info, health data).
• Why: purpose (payment, analytics, support, legal compliance, research).
• How long: retention, if it differs from your own.
• Where: whether data leaves the EEA and under what safeguards.

You do not need to write a novel, but you do need enough detail that a user could reasonably understand the flow of their data. Regulators in 2024 have repeatedly criticized privacy policies that hide behind generic phrases like “we share data with third parties for business purposes” without more explanation.

Example of a third‑party sharing section you can adapt

Below is a sample text block that pulls these ideas together. You can customize it for your own GDPR‑aligned privacy policy.

How we share your personal data with third parties
We share your personal data with the following categories of recipients:

Service providers (processors). We work with IT, hosting, payment, customer support, marketing automation, and security providers that process personal data on our behalf. For example, we may share your contact details and support history with our helpdesk provider to respond to your inquiries, or your payment information with our payment processor to complete a transaction.

Analytics and advertising partners. With your consent where required, we share online identifiers and usage data with analytics and advertising partners to understand how people use our services and to show relevant ads. These partners may act as independent controllers and can combine data from our services with information from other sites that use their tools.

Business partners and affiliates. When you interact with a co‑branded service or participate in a joint promotion, we may share your registration details and interaction data with the relevant partner so they can operate the service or manage the promotion in line with their own privacy notice.

Professional advisors and corporate transactions. We may share your information with lawyers, auditors, and other professional advisors where necessary to obtain advice or protect our legal rights. If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your data may be transferred to the new owner subject to appropriate confidentiality and data protection safeguards.

Public authorities. We may share your personal data with regulators, law enforcement, or courts when legally required or when necessary to protect our rights or the rights of others.

In all cases, we limit sharing to what is necessary for the relevant purpose and use contracts or other safeguards required by GDPR.

This kind of section gives you several clear examples of third-party data sharing examples for GDPR compliance in one place, written in plain English.

FAQ: examples of third‑party data sharing under GDPR

Q1. What are common examples of third‑party data sharing under GDPR?
Common examples include sharing customer data with payment processors, hosting user accounts on cloud infrastructure, sending marketing emails through an external email service, using analytics tools to understand website usage, working with HR and payroll vendors for employees, and responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Q2. Do I have to name every third party in my privacy policy?
GDPR does not always require you to list every vendor by name, but you must at least describe the categories of recipients and the purposes of sharing. Some organizations choose to publish a vendor list or sub‑processor list separately for extra transparency, especially in B2B contexts.

Q3. What is an example of unlawful third‑party data sharing?
An example of unlawful sharing would be passing customer email addresses to an advertising partner for their own marketing, without consent or another valid legal basis, and without telling customers that this would happen. Another example is sharing health or financial data with a partner that has no need to see it.

Q4. How detailed should my examples of third‑party data sharing be?
Detailed enough that an average user understands who might get their data and why, without needing a law degree. Mention the type of third party, the categories of data, and the purpose. If you routinely transfer data outside the EEA, say so and explain the safeguards.

Q5. Are data processors and third‑party controllers treated differently in my policy?
Yes. For processors, you should emphasize that they act on your instructions and cannot use the data for their own purposes. For independent controllers, you should be honest that they decide how to use the data and that their own privacy policies apply. This distinction is one of the best examples of how GDPR expects you to be transparent about roles.

By weaving clear, specific scenarios into your privacy policy, you create real‑world examples of third-party data sharing examples for GDPR compliance that stand up to user scrutiny and regulatory review.