The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) leads the way to a new era for personal data protection in the EU and the rest of the world. 

EU GDPR Overview

WHO IS CONCERNED ?

Generally speaking, all companies who own EU citizens personal data are concerned.

WHAT IS « PERSONAL DATA » ?

Legislation stipulates that we are talking about « any information concerning a physical person that can be – either directly or indirectly – identified ». Data that can identify a person indirectly (such as a telephone number or a username) are therefore also concerned.

The same logic is also applied to behaviour data collected through the internet (for example during a marketing campaign). If this data can be linked to the identity of a physical person, it will be considered personal data.

OBLIGATIONS FOR COMPANIES

The new European regulation makes it compulsory for companies to prove that they protect this personal data at all times. This has an impact on the tools used to collect data (CRM, DMP, track & trace-software or geolocation, …), but also on contracts signed with subcontractors and customers.

Companies will also need to describe in detail which data is being collected. One of the most important principles in data protection is the « principle of necessity ». This states that data can only be collected for a specific and legitimate purpose.

The GDPR also imposes data retention periods : personal data should not be retained for longer than necessary. This responsibility also applies to subcontractors and other companies that have access to this data.

IMPACT AND TIMELINE ?

At the end of May 2018 all organizations need to comply to the GDPR. Since infringements of this Regulation can lead to fines of up to 4 % of your annual turnover, it is better to start preparing immediately. Now is the perfect moment to review your strategies regarding confidentiality, security and data management.

The GDPR requires companies to report each personal data breach within 72 hours after having become aware of it.

Source : : www.daf-mag.fr

DO YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION ?

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