Oh No, Not Another GDPR Blog…

By now, you might just have heard about GDPR. As the deadline is drawing ever-closer, small businesses are becoming more aware of it. And yes, it seems to be all over the internet at the moment; in blogs, videos, tweets, etc. But although it’s a little bit dull and appears to be just another nagging hindrance at the bottom of the to-do list, it really is important.

Small businesses need to be aware of what GDPR is and whether they’re going to be ready for May 25th. Are you going to be compliant for the deadline?

General Data Protection Regulation is the updated laws of personal information, replacing the Data Protection Act of 1998. It’s been restructured to keep up with the ever-developing, technological age that is the 21st century. These new rules and regulations will provide more control over how organisations and businesses use data.

Still a bit puzzled?

Do you send out regular newsletters to customers? Do you reach out to any clients using their personal information and contact details? If yes, you are a data controller. You need to be ready for the change.

Failure to comply with the new rules will incur hefty penalties. It is the responsibility of the data controller to abide by GDPR. Don’t let it be you who pays the price!

So, what should you do now? You need to get consent from each contact. The consent needs to be an active agreement on the client’s part – for example, businesses could send a tick-box form with the option for patrons to consent or dissent to their information being held and used.

If your current way of collecting data doesn’t match the new requirements, you will need to update it by May 25th 2018.

Update now before the deadline creeps up on you. There is plenty of information online to help your business comply with the new standards.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-strengthen-uk-data-protection-law