duty of confidentiality
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duty of confidentiality
The legal or contractual obligation of certain professional groups, such as doctors, lawyers, or therapists, not to pass on confidential information about clients or patients to third parties.
Der Arzt unterliegt der Schweigepflicht und darf keine Details über seine Patienten verraten.
The doctor is bound by the duty of confidentiality and may not disclose any details about his patients.
The word is a clear compound of 'schweigen' (to be silent) and 'die Pflicht' (a duty, a task one must fulfill). So it literally means the 'duty to remain silent'.
Auch nach Beendigung des Arbeitsverhältnisses gilt die Schweigepflicht weiter.
The duty of confidentiality continues to apply even after the employment relationship has ended.
Common verbs in this context are 'die Schweigepflicht haben' (to have a duty of confidentiality), 'die Schweigepflicht verletzen' (to violate the duty of confidentiality), or 'jemanden von der Schweigepflicht entbinden' (to release someone from the duty of confidentiality).
Wer vertrauliche Daten weitergibt, verletzt seine Schweigepflicht.
Anyone who passes on confidential data violates their duty of confidentiality.
A very typical and formal formulation is 'der Schweigepflicht unterliegen' (to be subject to the duty of confidentiality). The verb 'unterliegen' always requires the dative here.
Als Anwältin unterliegt sie einer strengen Schweigepflicht.
As a lawyer, she is subject to a strict duty of confidentiality.
This word is used almost exclusively in a professional context. It mainly concerns professions that deal with very personal data, such as doctors, psychologists, lawyers, and pastoral counselors.
Im Medizinstudium lernt man früh die Bedeutung der ärztlichen Schweigepflicht.
In medical school, students learn early on the importance of medical confidentiality.
data protection
Datenschutz protects personal data from unauthorized handling, for example when it is stored or shared. Schweigepflicht obliges certain professional groups not to disclose confidential information about patients or clients to third parties. Datenschutz is relevant when managing patient data, while Schweigepflicht applies to confidential conversations.
Die Ärztin erzählt niemandem vom vertraulichen Gespräch, weil sie der Schweigepflicht unterliegt.
The doctor does not tell anyone about the confidential conversation because she is bound by professional confidentiality.
Die Praxis speichert die Patientendaten nach den Regeln des Datenschutzes.
The medical practice stores the patient data in accordance with data protection regulations.
