diff --git a/bl1/bl1.ld.S b/bl1/bl1.ld.S
index 4ebe8a02a9fddd4b6c273d432f50d2ae4d20d655..bc23828e496d6dc47bc3f5e4fc7d3b68eec45888 100644
--- a/bl1/bl1.ld.S
+++ b/bl1/bl1.ld.S
@@ -4,6 +4,14 @@
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
  */
 
+/*
+ * The .data section gets copied from ROM to RAM at runtime.
+ * Its LMA should be 16-byte aligned to allow efficient copying of 16-bytes
+ * aligned regions in it.
+ * Its VMA must be page-aligned as it marks the first read/write page.
+ */
+#define DATA_ALIGN	16
+
 #include <common/bl_common.ld.h>
 #include <lib/xlat_tables/xlat_tables_defs.h>
 
@@ -87,21 +95,9 @@ SECTIONS
     ASSERT(BL1_RW_BASE == ALIGN(PAGE_SIZE),
            "BL1_RW_BASE address is not aligned on a page boundary.")
 
-    /*
-     * The .data section gets copied from ROM to RAM at runtime.
-     * Its LMA should be 16-byte aligned to allow efficient copying of 16-bytes
-     * aligned regions in it.
-     * Its VMA must be page-aligned as it marks the first read/write page.
-     *
-     * It must be placed at a lower address than the stacks if the stack
-     * protector is enabled. Alternatively, the .data.stack_protector_canary
-     * section can be placed independently of the main .data section.
-     */
-    .data . : ALIGN(16) {
-        __DATA_RAM_START__ = .;
-        *(SORT_BY_ALIGNMENT(.data*))
-        __DATA_RAM_END__ = .;
-    } >RAM AT>ROM
+    DATA_SECTION >RAM AT>ROM
+    __DATA_RAM_START__ = __DATA_START__;
+    __DATA_RAM_END__ = __DATA_END__;
 
     STACK_SECTION >RAM
     BSS_SECTION >RAM
diff --git a/bl2/bl2.ld.S b/bl2/bl2.ld.S
index 17475f061625da9e9ad5dc9a54751a07589b7a34..37849c3124afae6aa515e648651158a79f399128 100644
--- a/bl2/bl2.ld.S
+++ b/bl2/bl2.ld.S
@@ -77,17 +77,7 @@ SECTIONS
      */
     __RW_START__ = . ;
 
-    /*
-     * .data must be placed at a lower address than the stacks if the stack
-     * protector is enabled. Alternatively, the .data.stack_protector_canary
-     * section can be placed independently of the main .data section.
-     */
-    .data . : {
-        __DATA_START__ = .;
-        *(SORT_BY_ALIGNMENT(.data*))
-        __DATA_END__ = .;
-    } >RAM
-
+    DATA_SECTION >RAM
     STACK_SECTION >RAM
     BSS_SECTION >RAM
     XLAT_TABLE_SECTION >RAM
diff --git a/bl2/bl2_el3.ld.S b/bl2/bl2_el3.ld.S
index ea7a23500c0d74a9a8e764eb82693a2ae6131593..8c45d9898f28e8da883647b4f13af219364379ec 100644
--- a/bl2/bl2_el3.ld.S
+++ b/bl2/bl2_el3.ld.S
@@ -101,16 +101,9 @@ SECTIONS
      */
     __RW_START__ = . ;
 
-    /*
-     * .data must be placed at a lower address than the stacks if the stack
-     * protector is enabled. Alternatively, the .data.stack_protector_canary
-     * section can be placed independently of the main .data section.
-     */
-    .data . : {
-        __DATA_RAM_START__ = .;
-        *(SORT_BY_ALIGNMENT(.data*))
-        __DATA_RAM_END__ = .;
-    } >RAM AT>ROM
+    DATA_SECTION >RAM AT>ROM
+    __DATA_RAM_START__ = __DATA_START__;
+    __DATA_RAM_END__ = __DATA_END__;
 
     /*
      * .rela.dyn needs to come after .data for the read-elf utility to parse
diff --git a/bl2u/bl2u.ld.S b/bl2u/bl2u.ld.S
index 3ab43825c1147fd4217e5899ec7dac6770c37b17..a7752a490c2d78d67b3ed3057933281a16e08c49 100644
--- a/bl2u/bl2u.ld.S
+++ b/bl2u/bl2u.ld.S
@@ -79,17 +79,7 @@ SECTIONS
      */
     __RW_START__ = . ;
 
-    /*
-     * .data must be placed at a lower address than the stacks if the stack
-     * protector is enabled. Alternatively, the .data.stack_protector_canary
-     * section can be placed independently of the main .data section.
-     */
-    .data . : {
-        __DATA_START__ = .;
-        *(SORT_BY_ALIGNMENT(.data*))
-        __DATA_END__ = .;
-    } >RAM
-
+    DATA_SECTION >RAM
     STACK_SECTION >RAM
     BSS_SECTION >RAM
     XLAT_TABLE_SECTION >RAM
diff --git a/bl31/bl31.ld.S b/bl31/bl31.ld.S
index 94d03e3da557e06495acf7d5f083f71f3f646a1e..11e86a3c13ffd2c41c33f6deeb710b74fd437bca 100644
--- a/bl31/bl31.ld.S
+++ b/bl31/bl31.ld.S
@@ -114,16 +114,7 @@ SECTIONS
      */
     __RW_START__ = . ;
 
-    /*
-     * .data must be placed at a lower address than the stacks if the stack
-     * protector is enabled. Alternatively, the .data.stack_protector_canary
-     * section can be placed independently of the main .data section.
-     */
-   .data . : {
-        __DATA_START__ = .;
-        *(SORT_BY_ALIGNMENT(.data*))
-        __DATA_END__ = .;
-    } >RAM
+    DATA_SECTION >RAM
 
     /*
      * .rela.dyn needs to come after .data for the read-elf utility to parse
diff --git a/bl32/sp_min/sp_min.ld.S b/bl32/sp_min/sp_min.ld.S
index 8e91cec91bbccffc411957aa3152fdc384762d0f..9e0596f1f056e4917245fb3be953d7b11cc07c36 100644
--- a/bl32/sp_min/sp_min.ld.S
+++ b/bl32/sp_min/sp_min.ld.S
@@ -91,11 +91,7 @@ SECTIONS
      */
     __RW_START__ = . ;
 
-    .data . : {
-        __DATA_START__ = .;
-        *(.data*)
-        __DATA_END__ = .;
-    } >RAM
+    DATA_SECTION >RAM
 
 #ifdef BL32_PROGBITS_LIMIT
     ASSERT(. <= BL32_PROGBITS_LIMIT, "BL32 progbits has exceeded its limit.")
diff --git a/bl32/tsp/tsp.ld.S b/bl32/tsp/tsp.ld.S
index 7428c0345b0fb7629debeb826906062f716e78dd..bdcd2cf708f7923748b81406d18fd49c89ddd0af 100644
--- a/bl32/tsp/tsp.ld.S
+++ b/bl32/tsp/tsp.ld.S
@@ -70,11 +70,7 @@ SECTIONS
      */
     __RW_START__ = . ;
 
-    .data . : {
-        __DATA_START__ = .;
-        *(.data*)
-        __DATA_END__ = .;
-    } >RAM
+    DATA_SECTION >RAM
 
     /*
      * .rela.dyn needs to come after .data for the read-elf utility to parse
diff --git a/include/common/bl_common.ld.h b/include/common/bl_common.ld.h
index 8ea7d6a8cce6479db3f31cb285cebfc3915fd537..97fed72044eb04614d76d7d8d37c20423e1258b7 100644
--- a/include/common/bl_common.ld.h
+++ b/include/common/bl_common.ld.h
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@
 #define BSS_ALIGN	8
 #endif
 
+#ifndef DATA_ALIGN
+#define DATA_ALIGN	1
+#endif
+
 #define CPU_OPS						\
 	. = ALIGN(STRUCT_ALIGN);			\
 	__CPU_OPS_START__ = .;				\
@@ -85,6 +89,18 @@
 	GOT						\
 	BASE_XLAT_TABLE_RO
 
+/*
+ * .data must be placed at a lower address than the stacks if the stack
+ * protector is enabled. Alternatively, the .data.stack_protector_canary
+ * section can be placed independently of the main .data section.
+ */
+#define DATA_SECTION					\
+	.data . : ALIGN(DATA_ALIGN) {			\
+		__DATA_START__ = .;			\
+		*(SORT_BY_ALIGNMENT(.data*))		\
+		__DATA_END__ = .;			\
+	}
+
 #define STACK_SECTION					\
 	stacks (NOLOAD) : {				\
 		__STACKS_START__ = .;			\
diff --git a/plat/mediatek/mt6795/bl31.ld.S b/plat/mediatek/mt6795/bl31.ld.S
index 91ca87cb637949c62f758ed91c6fd6dcf0fc3598..3d881fc433a38ef938e41eb2cfeb60d1487d0c9b 100644
--- a/plat/mediatek/mt6795/bl31.ld.S
+++ b/plat/mediatek/mt6795/bl31.ld.S
@@ -59,16 +59,7 @@ SECTIONS
      */
     __RW_START__ = . ;
 
-    /*
-     * .data must be placed at a lower address than the stacks if the stack
-     * protector is enabled. Alternatively, the .data.stack_protector_canary
-     * section can be placed independently of the main .data section.
-     */
-    .data . : {
-        __DATA_START__ = .;
-        *(.data*)
-        __DATA_END__ = .;
-    } >RAM
+    DATA_SECTION >RAM
 
 #ifdef BL31_PROGBITS_LIMIT
     ASSERT(. <= BL31_PROGBITS_LIMIT, "BL3-1 progbits has exceeded its limit.")