The GDPR: What is the General Data Protection Regulation

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy that aims to enhance individuals' control and rights over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international companies.?

What is the GDPR all about

The GDPR governs the privacy of personal data. This includes any information that is collected by a company on the basis of an individual’s identity or activity. The GDPR applies to any type of data – from contact information to social media identifiers.

GDPR requires that any company that processes the personal data of EU citizens must meet certain rules in order to be compliant with the GDPR.

The GDPR applies to companies that process data about EU citizens in two ways: first, companies must process and store the data in a secure way; and second, they must take steps to ensure that the data is accurate and up-to-date.

In addition, companies must provide customers with clear information about their rights under the GDPR, as well as offer them opportunities to have their data processed in a more transparent and responsible way.?

What are the GDPR Requirements

Under the GDPR, companies must comply with specific rules concerning how they must handle customer personal data. In general, these rules apply to all forms of contact (written, electronic, or physical) made by a company with respect to EU residents - including but not limited to phone calls, online chats, or letters.

In addition, companies must also disclose how long each contact lasts and how much information is shared during each interaction. Finally, companies must protect customers’ personal data from unauthorized access and use.

Companies will now have to be transparent on how they use personal data, what they are going to do with it, and why. This means that a company is required to make the customer fully aware of how his information is collected and used, and they need to make it simple as well. Gone are the days when the customers sign up for a new service and pre-ticked checkboxes implied their consent to give up their private information. It’s basically privacy by default. At any time the customer can withdraw his consent, review how his data is used, or demand that his data be deleted. The GDPR gives the customer total visibility on how his personal information is collected, stored, processed, and used.?

How To Protect Data

To be compliant with the GDPR, companies need to take several steps in order to protect personal data:

First, companies must protect data from accidental deletion or damage over time.

Second, companies must keep track of every step that someone takes when accessing customer data (for example email addresses, religion, ethnic origin, contact information, medical records, and much more). This will help the company identify any potential breaches and prevent them from happening in the future.

Third, companies must ensure that all employees are familiar with GDPR requirements and understand their role in protecting customers' personal data. Employees who do not understand their responsibilities or who do not follow company procedures can lead to widespread breaches of the GDPR.

Fourth, companies must develop training programs for employees on how to process customer personal data safely and correctly. Employees who are not properly trained can easily mishandle personal data and deliver incorrect information to customers.

What Companies Can Do to Protect Data

The GDPR sets out specific requirements for how personal data must be safeguarded. To comply with the GDPR, companies must take effective steps to protect data from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction.?

Use Appropriate Technology

Companies must use appropriate technology when collecting and holding personal data. They may need to use encryption, require customer consent for certain types of processing, and adhere to other GDPR regulations related to privacy protection.

Collect Data for Specific, Explicit, and Legitimate Purposes

Companies must use personal data for specific, explicit, and legitimate purposes. If you process personal data for a purpose that is not meet these requirements, the company could be liable for fines.

Conclusion

The GDPR applies to all companies that process EU residents' personal data. Under the GDPR, companies must take certain precautions in order to protect personal data. If a company process personal data without following the GDPR's regulations, the company could face fines of up to 4% of its global annual revenue.