The General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, is an important data privacy law that applies to any organization that collects, stores or processes the personal data of EU citizens, no matter where that business is located. Here we share some important aspects of GDPR compliance.
Practical Compliance
GDPR needs to be applied to real-world processes. Imagine a retail business operating a pager system for order pickups. To comply with GDPR, that business must obtain clear consent before collecting customer details for their pager system, prevent the data from being misused and erase it once it is no longer necessary.
No Hiding Behind Legal Jargon
GDPR makes it very clear that organizations cannot hide behind complicated terms or confusing legal disclaimers. If you’re collecting data, you need to present your policies in plain and accessible language.
Strict Timeframes
One of the defining features of GDPR is that it focused on accountability. If your organization suffers a data breach, you cannot wait weeks or months to disclose it. The regulation sets clear deadlines- typically within 72 hours – to notify the supervisory authorities and the individuals whose information was exposed.
Responding to Data Subject Requests
People have the right to know what personal information an organization holds about them. If someone submits a data subject access request, your organization is legally obligated to provide a quick and transparent response.
A Data Protection Officer
Depending on the scale and nature of your data processing, you may need to appoint Data Protection Officer to make sure your business is compliant.
