What Is GDPR And How Does It Affect My Business?

You have undoubtedly been receiving tens if not hundreds of emails about GDPR recently, and if you’re in the business of digital marketing then you really need to make sure that you’re educated about what it all means for your company. So, before we go any further, let’s start with the simple things like what does GDPR stand for and what does it mean?

GDPR, or the General Data Protection Regulation is a set of new data protection laws that affect Europe and the EU. The data protection laws came into effect officially on the 25^th May 2018, and now replace the previous 1995 data protection directive which the UK law was based on. These laws are aimed at protecting people’s privacy, restricting the use and distribution of their private and personal information and basically updating the outdated laws that existed before.

So, who will be affected by the new GDPR?
In short, everyone. All citizens of the European Union, and all businesses operating within the EU (regardless of physical location) will have to abide by the new laws, and for those who don’t there will be fines which vary depending on the level of infraction. Businesses may be required to pay up to 4% of their global turnover or 20 million Euro, whichever is the highest; or they may be fined 2% for not keeping their records in order.

In the full GPPR text there are 99 articles which define the rights of individuals and state the obligations that organisations now have and they cover everything from gaining written permission to film and photograph people to only collecting the most vital of information. The key requirements of GDPR address people’s privacy, the accuracy of the personal data which is kept, giving people more access and control over their own data, ensuring you have consent for any data stored on a person, and the security of any data which companies store.  

GDPR is a really big deal in the world of business at the minute, and to be perfectly honest, there is still a whole lot that we need to learn about the new regulations which are being enforced. Although businesses have had two years to prepare for this moment before the laws were enforced, it’s still not clear whether or not everyone completely understands the guidelines and the ramifications of not following GDPR fully. Only time will tell how these new laws and regulations will play out, but one thing’s for sure, it is definitely worth keeping your eye out for any updates and tips which may be found in the future.