Absurdism corner

Why?


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But death status is health information, therefore protected personal data
Depending on jurisdiction, not necessarily.

For example, the GDPR does not apply to a dead person's personal information, BUT other national legislation may well do so.

GDPR recital 27: “This Regulation does not apply to the personal data of deceased persons. Member States may provide for rules regarding the processing of personal data of deceased persons.".

Thomsen Reuters Practical Law: Is a deceased person a data subject for the purpose of GDPR?

In the UK it is "the Access to Health Records Act 1990 (AHRA) that remains the current legislation in relation to the release of a deceased patient’s medical records."

Medical Protection: Disclosures after death

So, as ever, it is complicated, and varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. One of the benefits of the GDPR is that it sets a baseline for the protection of personal data across the EEA, so businesses can worry less about differences between national legislation. Minimising administrative bureaucracy is a good thing: just ask anyone who operates in multiple US states about filing taxes. US sales taxes can vary by county.
 
Depending on jurisdiction, not necessarily.

For example, the GDPR does not apply to a dead person's personal information, BUT other national legislation may well do so.
Er... this is the absurdism corner. I was joking. It's obvious that the user is not dead, whatever button they press. They may just be pretending to be someone else who is dead.
Anyway, the problem is that searching for a death certificate can turn out someone is NOT officially dead. Then the interested person is likely alive and has rights to their personal data in many jurisdictions. Including to the data point that they're alive.
So the outcome of the search may or may not be protected depending on the result itself. So you may need to ensure proper access before answering the query, and do so in a way that isn't itself an answer to the query, so require proof of permission
to all queries before answering whether there is a death certificate for the person..
 
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