Petra Pasternak, Everlaw: Simplify DSAR Responses with Time-Saving Technology

Key Takeaways

• DUAA 2025 raises DSAR procedural standards
• ICO guidance tightens transparency and justification requirements
• Ashley v HMRC case sets precedent for thorough searches
• DSARs increasingly intersect with litigation and investigations
• Everlaw's AI tools cut response time dramatically

Summary

Petra Pasternak of Everlaw warns that organisations are underestimating the growing cost and risk of data subject access requests (DSARs). Recent UK legislation – the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 – together with updated ICO guidance and the Ashley v HMRC ruling, impose stricter procedural and transparency obligations. These developments broaden DSAR relevance into litigation, employment disputes and regulatory investigations. Everlaw’s technology promises to streamline DSAR handling, cutting response time and compliance overhead.

Pulse Analysis

The United Kingdom’s data privacy landscape has shifted dramatically with the enactment of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. Alongside the ICO’s refreshed guidance, the landmark Ashley v HMRC decision now demands organisations not only to locate personal data but also to document the search methodology and justification for any exemptions. This regulatory tightening raises the bar for transparency, compelling companies to adopt more rigorous governance frameworks and risk‑assessment processes for every DSAR they receive.

For many firms, the practical impact of these changes is a surge in compliance costs and operational strain. Traditional manual review methods struggle to meet the heightened expectations for accuracy, speed, and auditability, especially as DSARs surface in complex contexts such as litigation, employment disputes, and regulatory probes. The need to balance thoroughness with efficiency creates a bottleneck that can expose organisations to fines, reputational damage, and costly legal challenges if responses are delayed or incomplete.

Everlaw’s AI‑powered platform directly addresses these pain points by automating data identification, relevance scoring, and redaction workflows. Its advanced search algorithms can quickly surface required records while preserving a clear audit trail, enabling legal teams to justify their decisions under the new procedural standards. By reducing manual effort, Everlaw not only shortens response times but also lowers the total cost of compliance, positioning it as a strategic tool for businesses seeking to navigate the evolving DSAR regime with confidence.