目的限制原则是个人信息保护的基本原则。目的限制原则的内容包括目的明确原则和使用限制原则。目的明确原则是指个人信息处理者在收集个人信息之前就应当具有明确的目的，在处理个人信息的初始阶段将目的合理化。目的明确原则要求个人信息处理者遵守告知义务，同时因信息处理者与信息主体间的不平衡关系，需要以更为严格的标准解释告知义务。使用限制原则是指处理个人信息的目的与收集个人信息时确定的初始目的应当相同或者具有直接关联性，如果个人信息处理者处理个人信息时超出初始目的，便会使得信息处理行为违法化。目的限制原则在个人信息保护中具有很强的功能性，其不仅有利于保护个人信息权益，还是“合法、正当、必要原则”的具体化。在实践中，以关联性为标准可以考察信息处理者是否遵循了使用限制原则。目的限制原则已经被运用到我国的司法实践当中，作为判断个人信息处理者是否侵犯了信息主体个人信息权益的一项依据。虽然目的限制原则在个人信息的保护方面显现出了一些问题，有待于制度的进一步完善。

Purpose limitation principle is one of the basic principles in personal information protection. Purpose limitation principle consists of purpose specification and use limitation principle. Purpose specification principle conveys that personal information processor should have a clear purpose before collecting personal information, and clarify and rationalize the purpose at the initial stage of processing personal information. Purpose specification principle requires personal information processors to comply with the obligation to notify. While the obligation to notify should be interpreted strictly due to the unbalanced relationship between personal information processors and information subjects. Use limitation principle means that the purpose of processing personal information should be the same as or directly related to the initial purpose determined at the time of collecting personal information, and if a personal information processor processes personal information beyond the initial purpose, it will make the information processing illegal. The purpose limitation principle has a strong function in the protection of personal information, which not only helps to protect the rights and interests of personal information, but also concretizes “principle of lawfulness, legality and necessity”. In practice, relevance can be used as a criterion to examine whether information processors have followed the principle of purpose limitation. Purpose limitation principle has been applied to the judicial practice as a basis for determining whether personal information processors have violated the personal information rights and interests of information subjects. Although some problems have arisen in relation to purpose limitation principle, further improvement of the system is possible and required.