GDPR or “General Data Protection Regulation” are new legal requirements. Their main idea is to enhance the data security of European customers. Although it mainly affects everyone working within EU-zone, these regulations are also very important for non-Europeans.
Being a bit more specific, this set of laws requires that businesses collect, use, and keep the data of their customers following the newly-created standards. Additionally, people get an opportunity to manage the information companies get about them. Users now have the ability to find out what specific data is stored, request for it to be deleted, etc.
In addition to the general requirements, companies are also supposed to provide detailed explanations regarding the ways they store, gather, and use your data. Users must be able to easily understand these processes.
While Great Britain is no longer considered a member of the EU, it still has similar rules inside the country. The set of laws does not cover the American market. Nevertheless, it is best for everyone who is not part of the EU to comply with these requirements as well. This will bring a lot of benefits for the businesses.
Imagine a situation where you buy a jacket over the internet.
After visiting the vendor’s website, you start getting targeted advertisements with jackets and everything of the kind. As it is said in the GDPR, you can freely ask the advertiser to remove your data and stop showing you these ads.
Although it is required that companies comply with this set of laws in the European Union, they may decide to give the same rights to people from other countries as well. It would be quite unreasonable for them to have two different policies for the EU & everyone else.
Some companies like Microsoft have decided to provide the same rights and policies for all their users. However, companies like Facebook change the privacy setting globally but do not give everyone the same rights in managing their data.
Since the implementation, companies are supposed to notify European agencies within 72 hours after data breaches occur. If there could be any serious consequences, the users must be notified as well.
It is expected that the new legislation will change the way most businesses perform their daily routine and provide additional protection to regular users. Your information is now protected.
As far as you operate inside the EU and have anything to do with the data of customers from there, you are supposed to do everything that is required by the new legislation. Otherwise, you might have to pay a fine for violating any of the rules mentioned above.
Primarily, reading the new rules and requirements is highly recommended. A separate list of rights exists, and it covers everything a regular user can do.
For instance, you have a right to find out which data is gathered about you and your activity, ask the firm to stop using or delete this data, and file complaints in case of data leakage. Basically, everything is supposed to become quite transparent and understandable.
Although all these options might sound like something pretty simple, it is, in fact, very difficult for companies to implement. While there were several years to prepare for the GDPR regulation, businesses still struggle with following the rules.
Currently, the most reasonable thing you can do is ask for the info that is already stored. Most companies are already capable of providing this sort of data. However, there might be some troubles with the other features.
For better understanding, we put together the following list with the 7 basic features of the new law. These should help you understand the meaning and importance of the regulations.
Now, you know what the basic features of GDPR are. All companies that work within the European Union are obliged to comply with the set of laws and ensure data privacy is not neglected.
Although we have already mentioned that the new laws are applicable for all companies working within the EU, there still is an official list that states which businesses are covered by them.
So, basically, this covers almost everyone working online.
The GDPR clearly mentioned that there are 2 fine tiers.
Speaking of the penalties, they are determined by how serious the issue is.
In case you decide to read more about which violation could result in one of these two fines, visit the official GDPR website for additional information.
Apart from the violated articles, there also are several other points that cover the amount of the potential fine.
So, we have covered the meaning and importance of GDPR including the penalties, principles, and other features. If any issues occur, it is very serious for your company because the fines are huge. Keep your data safe!
