canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/adyen.com/adyen-data-protection-service

# Adyen Data Protection API

Submit GDPR Subject Erasure Requests against shopper data held by Adyen, including payment details, delivery addresses, and shopper email addresses tied to past transactions. The API exposes a single operation that records the erasure request and returns a unique request reference for audit and follow-up. Designed for merchants that need a programmatic way to satisfy Article 17 right-to-be-forgotten obligations.

## For AI agents

Submit GDPR right-to-erasure requests to Adyen for a specific shopper, removing payment and personal data tied to past transactions and returning an audit reference.

## Scope

Does not handle data export, consent capture, or marketing preferences - use for GDPR Subject Erasure Request submission only.

## Capabilities

- Submit a GDPR Subject Erasure Request against a specific shopper or PSP reference
- Receive an Adyen-generated request reference for audit logging and downstream tracking
- Trigger erasure across linked payment, address, and shopper email records held by Adyen
- Authenticate erasure submissions with X-API-Key or basic auth web service user credentials
- Surface validation errors when the requested record is not found or cannot be erased

## Use cases

### GDPR Right-to-Erasure Workflow

Honour Article 17 right-to-be-forgotten requests by forwarding shopper data deletions to Adyen as part of a wider data erasure pipeline. The single /requestSubjectErasure operation accepts a merchantAccount, shopperReference, and optional pspReference list, and returns the request status with an Adyen-side reference. The merchant remains responsible for orchestrating erasures across other systems (CRM, email, analytics) but the API removes the Adyen footprint.

Example prompt: POST /requestSubjectErasure with merchantAccount TestMerchant and shopperReference cust_8421, then log the returned response code and reference in the privacy ledger

### Customer Account Closure Pipeline

Tie Adyen data erasure into the workflow that runs when a customer permanently closes their account on a merchant platform. Once outstanding obligations and refunds are settled, the closure pipeline calls /requestSubjectErasure to remove saved card tokens, billing addresses, and shopper email data from Adyen. The returned reference is stored as evidence of compliance for the retention period required by the merchant's privacy policy.

Example prompt: After confirming the customer has no open balances, POST /requestSubjectErasure for shopperReference cust_3092 and store the response in the privacy_audit table for at least seven years

### AI Agent Privacy Compliance

AI agents that handle inbound privacy requests can submit Adyen erasures through Jentic without holding raw API credentials. The agent searches for 'submit a GDPR erasure request' via Jentic, receives the /requestSubjectErasure schema with required merchantAccount and shopperReference fields, executes the call, and returns the resulting reference to the privacy team for audit. Credentials remain isolated in your Jentic One instance throughout.

Example prompt: Search Jentic for 'submit Adyen subject erasure request', load the schema, then POST /requestSubjectErasure with the merchantAccount and shopperReference resolved from the privacy ticket

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| POST | /requestSubjectErasure | Submit a Subject Erasure Request against a shopper or PSP reference |

## Key resources

- **Subject Erasure Requests** — Erasure requests submitted against shopper records, payment details, and addresses held by Adyen

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring the Adyen Data Protection API by hand means handling its X-API-Key or basic auth and targeting the classic CA host for a single GDPR erasure call. Through Jentic you install once, import the Data Protection API from the API Directory, store the key once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** Data Protection takes the shopper reference in the request body rather than a resource id in the URL path, so you limit the agent to the single operation it needs, the subject erasure request. Because you pick the operations, this surface exposes nothing beyond that erasure call.
- **Credential handling:** Your Adyen X-API-Key is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'submit a GDPR erasure request' or 'delete shopper payment data', and Jentic returns the requestSubjectErasure operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **Adyen Checkout API** — The source of the shopper payment data that the Data Protection API later erases
- **Adyen Management API** — Manages the merchant accounts, users, and webhook subscriptions used by the wider platform
- **Stripe API** — Stripe handles GDPR erasure through its dashboard and Forget Customer mutation rather than a dedicated REST endpoint

## FAQ

### What authentication does the Adyen Data Protection API use?

The Data Protection API accepts an API key in the X-API-Key header or HTTP Basic authentication with web service user credentials. Generate the key from your Adyen Customer Area. Through Jentic, the X-API-Key value is held encrypted in your Jentic One instance and agents authenticate with scoped tokens, so the raw key stays out of agent context.

### Can I delete only specific transactions for a shopper?

Yes. POST /requestSubjectErasure accepts a pspReference list alongside the shopperReference, so you can scope the erasure to specific PSP references rather than every record tied to that shopper. Omitting pspReference triggers a broader erasure of records linked to the shopperReference.

### What are the rate limits for the Data Protection API?

Rate limits are tied to your Adyen contract and are typically low because erasure is a low-volume operation. Excess requests return HTTP 429. For bulk migrations or large account closures, batch the work over time and contact your Adyen account manager if you need a temporary increase.

### How do I submit an erasure request through Jentic?

Search Jentic for 'submit Adyen subject erasure request' to find the POST /requestSubjectErasure operation. Required fields are merchantAccount and shopperReference, with optional pspReference list and forceErasure flag. Jentic loads the schema and executes with vaulted credentials. Run it through Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer.

### Does an erasure request remove data from my own systems too?

No. The Data Protection API only triggers erasure of records held inside Adyen - payment details, shopper addresses, and emails tied to transactions. You remain responsible for erasing data in your CRM, analytics platform, email tooling, and any other downstream system that holds personal data.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the Adyen Data Protection API?

Yes. This API exposes a single operation, the subject erasure request (POST /requestSubjectErasure), and because you run Jentic One self-hosted you decide which operations and credentials your agent may use. You can restrict the agent to just that erasure call, so it cannot reach anything beyond submitting a Subject Erasure Request. The shopper reference travels in the request body rather than a URL path, and your own rules govern which merchant accounts and credentials it is permitted to use.