THE GDPR EFFECT

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the new standard affecting the ways organisations protect the personal data that they hold on individuals will be implemented on 25 May 2018.

This law will affect nearly every business in and out of the European Union (EU). Even if you are an organisation based outside of the EU, the GDPR’s effect is far-reaching and will have an impact on your business.

The spirit behind this law calls for better process and actions from both data processors and controllers, with an empowering notion for citizens to exercise a right to be “forgotten”. This step places the legal obligations on the data processors and controllers to maintain records of personal data and processing activities beyond merely storing them. Controllers must ensure contracts placed with the processors have to be compliant. Should your organisation be based outside of the EU and you process information of EU citizens, your business is obligated by law to adhere strictly to the GDPR legislations. As far as intercontinental definitions, even if the data protection law has been repealed in the United States of America, any global organisation headquartered there that still processes data from EU customers will have to comply with the law.

Although the exact form of the legislation could vary, the direction of travel for privacy and data rights remains the same. Your consumers will be more concerned beyond the definition of GDPR and its impact on their operations. They would most likely be asking “How well is my data being protected?”, “Who is accountable for implementing and watching these legislations?” and “What are my exact privacy rights?”

Trust is non-negotiable in how we engage in the digital economy. It is fundamental in privacy and our freedom to information under any functioning democracy. A true government operates under a transparent information management system to govern and share information that supports freedom of information and data innovation. Thus, any organisation that takes GDPR compliance seriously could reap positive benefits from their reputation and reinforce customer trust. A robust GDPR process minimises financial or reputational risks, as well as cyber risk.

Setting out your organisation’s strategic plan to incorporate GDPR into your information and data management system asks for a full commitment to understanding, advocating and executing its framework. The Information Rights Strategic Plan enables your business to explore innovative and technologically agile ways to protect privacy and improve governance.

This move towards revolutionising public consumer data in a digital age will serve the organisations that embraced it well towards a higher standard of operations. This change means your business needs to have the right processes and people in place to better able to respond to any data breach. Such regulatory standards serve to guide us to navigate this journey towards a higher standard compared to status quo and how we use data in the future.

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