Manage data privacy requests in Hubspot
Managing data privacy requests in Hubspot is essential for staying compliant with privacy regulations and maintaining trust with your contacts. This guide walks you through how to export, rectify, restrict, and delete personal data so you can respond to privacy inquiries efficiently and correctly.
The steps below are based on the official Hubspot documentation for data subject rights and give you a practical workflow for handling requests inside your account.
Understanding Hubspot data privacy tools
Before processing any request, you should understand what data is stored in your CRM and how Hubspot structures it. Personal data can live in multiple places, including:
- Contact records and their properties
- Company, deal, and ticket associations
- Form submissions and analytic events
- Subscriptions and communication preferences
Different regulations, such as GDPR, give individuals rights like access, rectification, restriction, and erasure. Hubspot includes tools that help you honor these rights while keeping a clear record of what actions you perform.
Types of privacy requests you can handle in Hubspot
Most privacy queries you receive from contacts will fall into a few consistent categories. In Hubspot, you can respond to these using standard CRM capabilities and specific privacy-oriented tools.
Access and data export rights in Hubspot
When an individual asks for a copy of their data, you need to export their information from your system. In Hubspot, this typically includes contact properties, timelines, and subscription details.
To prepare data for export, you can:
- Review the contact record to confirm identity.
- Check associated objects like companies, deals, or tickets.
- Export data from lists or reports if you need a structured overview.
Depending on your internal policy, you may combine Hubspot export files with information from other systems before sending to the requester.
Rectification of personal data in Hubspot
Rectification requests occur when a contact wants to update or correct their personal data. Hubspot allows you to edit contact properties directly while maintaining a change history.
Typical examples include:
- Correcting a misspelled name or address
- Updating an email to a new primary address
- Adjusting preferences such as language or region
Always confirm that the request comes from the correct individual before making changes, especially when updating key identifiers like email addresses.
Restriction of processing in Hubspot
Sometimes a contact may ask you to limit how their data is used. In Hubspot, you can support restriction of processing by adjusting communication settings and limiting inclusion in marketing activities.
Possible actions include:
- Unsubscribing the contact from specific subscription types
- Opting the contact out of all email communications
- Excluding the contact from certain workflows or lists
These measures help ensure that Hubspot does not use the data for marketing or other defined processing types while you evaluate the request or comply with regulatory requirements.
Right to be forgotten and deletion in Hubspot
When a contact requests erasure of their personal data, you will need to delete or anonymize their record in Hubspot. Deletion is usually permanent, so you should confirm the request carefully and follow your legal team’s guidance.
Because Hubspot may retain some aggregated or anonymized analytics, review your privacy policy to understand exactly what is removed and what remains non-identifiable.
Step-by-step: handling a privacy request in Hubspot
Use this general workflow to manage privacy requests consistently. Adapt the steps based on your internal procedures and applicable laws.
1. Verify the requester’s identity in Hubspot
First, confirm that the request comes from the correct person. In your Hubspot account:
- Search for the contact using their email address or other identifiers.
- Compare the details in the request with information in the contact record.
- If required by your policy, ask the requester to confirm additional data points before proceeding.
Accurate verification helps prevent unauthorized access or changes to personal data.
2. Identify where the data is stored in Hubspot
Next, map out which Hubspot objects contain the individual’s personal information. Review:
- The main contact record and all its properties
- Associated companies, deals, and tickets
- Lists, workflows, and campaigns that include the contact
- Subscription status and form submission history
This overview helps you capture all relevant data so you can respond thoroughly to the request.
3. Export personal data from Hubspot (for access requests)
If the individual is exercising their right of access, you can prepare an export of their data. A typical process is:
- Export contact-level data from your CRM, such as core properties and custom fields.
- Download relevant reports or lists where the contact appears.
- Collect records of form submissions, subscriptions, and communication history where feasible.
Some teams combine exported Hubspot data with information from other platforms before sending a consolidated package to the requester.
4. Rectify incorrect information in Hubspot
For rectification requests, review each field that the contact highlighted. Then:
- Open the contact record in Hubspot.
- Edit the relevant properties, such as name, phone number, address, or preferences.
- Update associated records if older data has been copied into deals or tickets.
Keep an internal note of the change and the date so you can demonstrate that you responded to the request.
5. Apply restrictions to processing in Hubspot
When an individual requests restriction of processing, you can:
- Update subscription preferences to remove them from specific communications.
- Toggle opt-out options so marketing emails are no longer sent.
- Exclude the contact from automation, lists, or ads audiences where appropriate.
Record the restriction in an internal note or custom property in Hubspot so your team understands any limitations on future use of the data.
6. Delete personal data in Hubspot when required
If erasure is necessary and allowed under your legal obligations, proceed carefully:
- Confirm the request with the individual and document their consent.
- Remove or anonymize the contact record in Hubspot according to your policy.
- Review associated objects and ensure that directly identifiable personal data is no longer stored where it is not legally required.
Some records may need to be retained for accounting or compliance purposes. Always consult your legal team to define what must be deleted and what can be kept in anonymized form.
Compliance best practices for using Hubspot
Using Hubspot effectively for privacy management is not only about technical steps; it also requires ongoing governance and documentation.
Document your processes
Create a clear internal playbook describing:
- How to verify identity for each type of request
- What data sources inside Hubspot must be checked
- Who is responsible for approving deletions or restrictions
- Timeframes for responding to privacy requests
Share this documentation with your operations, legal, and support teams to ensure consistent handling of every request.
Train your team on Hubspot privacy workflows
Make sure anyone who can access personal data in Hubspot understands:
- Which actions they can perform (export, edit, delete)
- When to escalate a request to legal or management
- How to log actions for audit purposes
Regular training sessions help prevent mistakes and improve response times when privacy requests arrive.
Review official Hubspot guidance
The platform’s documentation provides detailed, up-to-date instructions on how its tools support data subject rights. For in-depth steps and the latest product changes, review the official guide on managing data privacy requests at Hubspot’s knowledge base.
Optimize your privacy operations beyond Hubspot
While Hubspot is central to many organizations’ data management, most teams rely on multiple platforms. Consider integrating your CRM process with a broader privacy and operations strategy.
Specialized consultancies can help you design workflows that connect CRM, analytics, and consent management tools. For advanced CRM optimization and support, you can explore services from Consultevo, which focuses on data-driven growth and systems alignment.
By combining clear internal policies with the built-in tools in Hubspot, you can respond confidently to privacy requests, protect your contacts’ rights, and maintain a robust compliance posture across your organization.
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