Own contacts in a press tool: how private notes and lists stay private under GDPR

When you work in PR, you often want to add your own contacts: a colleague’s private email, a stakeholder’s phone number, a journalist you met at an event. Uploading those into a shared press tool can feel risky. The direct answer is that in De Perslijst by PR-Dashboard, your own contacts sit in a secure account and are invisible to others. Notes and keywords are visible only to you and your colleagues, so your private lists stay private under GDPR.

What counts as personal data in a press list?

Under GDPR, personal data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable person. A journalist’s name, email address, and phone number are personal data. But so is a business address if it equals a home address, as the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK) notes. When you store contacts in a press tool, you are processing personal data, and that triggers GDPR obligations.

PR-Dashboard says all its solutions are GDPR proof and compliant with security requirements. That claim covers the entire platform, including the journalist database. For you as a user, it means the tool is designed to help you meet your own GDPR duties, not to add extra risk. To understand how this works in practice, see our article on legitimate interest for Dutch journalists.

How do own contacts stay invisible to others?

You can upload your own contacts into a secure account. PR-Dashboard states that these contacts are stored safely and invisibly to others. That means a colleague using the same press tool will not see your private list unless you choose to share it.

Your notes and keywords are also private. PR-Dashboard says these are visible only to you and your colleagues, not to anyone outside your team. This is useful when you add internal remarks such as “prefers phone contact” or “met at press conference March 2025”. Those notes stay within your organisation.

Can you send newsletters and invitations to own contacts?

Your own contacts do not have to be only press contacts. PR-Dashboard explains that the contacts you save can be any audience, such as stakeholders, partners, or event attendees. Because of this, you can send newsletters, invitations, and other mailings to all your audiences directly from the platform.

Since your own contacts can be any audience, De Perslijst is a single tool for both media relations and broader communication. De Perslijst costs from 2,650 euros per year with 2 logins. You keep one database, one set of notes, and one sending system. That reduces the risk of data scattered across spreadsheets and personal inboxes. For a full walkthrough, read our guide on sending a press release step by step.

What are the GDPR rules for consent and records?

When you rely on consent to process personal data, you must record that consent and keep it available for regulators. The Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK) states this clearly. Everyone can withdraw consent at any time, so your tool must let you track that withdrawal and stop sending.

Journalists can unsubscribe at any time. They also decide what data to share and choose their own interest areas. That means the database is built around journalist control, which supports your compliance. If a journalist withdraws consent, you can act on it without hunting through manual lists.

How do journalist rights work in the shared database?

Journalists have clear rights. They can view, change, or delete their data, and they can complain to the Dutch data protection authority, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens. This is not a hidden feature; it is part of how the platform is described.

For you, this means the tool handles the mechanics of data subject requests. When a journalist asks to see their data, the platform supports that. When they ask for deletion, you can comply. This reduces your administrative burden and helps you stay within GDPR. Learn more about journalist control of data in De Perslijst.

What about downloading data?

PR-Dashboard advises against downloading data from the platform. The company calls downloading very unwise and says it is totally unnecessary because you can work and send inside the software. This is a security stance: keeping data inside the tool reduces the risk of loss or leakage.

If you need to export data for your own records, you should ask PR-Dashboard about the options. But the intended workflow is to work and send within De Perslijst, not to move data out. That aligns with GDPR’s principle of data minimisation.

Where is the data hosted?

All development and hosting of PR-Dashboard take place in the Netherlands, with Dutch programmers. This matters for GDPR because it means your data stays within the European Economic Area, avoiding extra transfer requirements. It also makes it easier to deal with Dutch regulators if questions arise.

For a Dutch media list, this is a practical advantage. You know where your data lives, and you can explain that to stakeholders. Hosting in the Netherlands is a concrete fact you can rely on.

What should you ask a vendor about GDPR?

Before choosing a press tool, ask these questions. First, where is my data hosted, and is that within the EEA? Second, can I see, change, or delete my own contacts, and can the journalist do the same? Third, how are notes and keywords kept private from other users? Fourth, what happens when a journalist withdraws consent?

PR-Dashboard answers these clearly. The platform is described as GDPR proof, hosting is in the Netherlands, and journalist rights are built in.

Verdict: top pick for privacy by design

Your own contacts are invisible to others, notes are private, and journalists control their data. The platform is described as GDPR proof, and the hosting is in the Netherlands.