GDPR stands for General Data Privacy Regulation has been a nightmare for many business owners.
Who would have thought that going against GDPR norms may cost Google a fine of 50 million Euros?
Yes, we’re not kidding! There are many examples like Google. A Portuguese hospital penalty stood at 400,000 Euros because of deficient account management practices.
Many companies don’t know how to comply with GDPR norms. They are not even aware of its norms in their specific country and consequences of not complying to it.
Towards the end of this article you will have a fair knowledge and a few workable tips in hand that will help you better to adhere to GDPR norms on data privacy, as a company.
Let’s move ahead!
Why GDPR Has Come into Existence – Its Value!
The GDPR and Its Value – ContentStellar Blog
The very first aim of the GDPR is to offer such a set of rules that allow EU citizens to have better control over their personal data.
It’s supposed to regulate the digital economy in such a way that benefit citizens as well as the businesses.
In the 21st century, companies are pretty stealthy about data.
Social media companies, commercial banks, governments, retailers, manufacturers, televisions, and even education institutions – Almost every type of company is striving to gather customers’ personal data.
We all know that personal data help companies drive more sales and engagement. Many companies are fond of storing this data to make a great profit.
Do you know what may happen if this data reaches to wrong intended people?
Yes, a big loss can arrive without knocking at the door. Most importantly, some black hat hackers may use this data for malicious intent.
To keep a check on the leakage of personal data, GDPR appeared to keep the interest of the citizens of the European Union.
GDPR strongly command companies to make sure whether personal data is gathered under suitable legal conditions or not. Moreover, owners of personal data are obliged to keep it secure.
What Type of Data Does GDPR Secure?
The GDPR Norms : Contentstellar Blog Image
GDPR generally protects data like:-
- Name
- Email Address
- ID Numbers
- Web Data Information: IP address, cookie data, and RFID tags
- Health & Genetic Data
- Bio metric Details
- Radical Data
- Credit Card
- Sexual Orientation
- Political Opinions
- Interests
- Behavior
Whatever we have mentioned in the above list is enough to simplify the process of hacking any citizen’s best accounts. In a couple of minutes, anyone can be hacked and scrapped of all he owns.
Who is Subjected to GDPR Norms?
GDPR applies to:
- Any company or organization that resides in the EU region and processes personal data.
- Any company or organization that exists outside the EU region and offer goods/services to monitor the behavior of EU citizens.
You will have to adhere to GDPR policies if your small or medium-sized enterprise processes personal data of the EU citizens. In case, if personal data isn’t the fundamental aspect of your business, you may get relief from some obligations.
If your company is based outside the EU and provide services to non-EU citizens only, then you’re not liable to follow GDPR norms.
Some Principles of GDPR Worth Considering
What can you tweak without acknowledging principles?
GDPR principles can guide you to regulate your enterprise’s management accordingly. Here’s a list of principles you can follow.
- Consent: GDPR states – “the aim of processing personal data should be structured to serve mankind.” To achieve this objective, GDPR suggests using consent while processing personal data.
- Specificity: You should inform customers about the purpose and usage of their personal data. If you’re collecting data for marketing purpose, you will have to mention.
- Data Minimization: According to GDPR, whatever data companies are collecting should be gathered in a limit. For any amount of data, they should have a reason.
- Data Retention: Personal data of the customers must be accurate and up to date. Besides, old and outdated contacts should not be retained. If there’s any, the company should ensure the erasure of such data without any delay.
- Security: The most fundamental principle of GDPR is the security of personal data. If anything goes wrong with the data, the company will be answerable.
What Can Companies Do to Comply with GDPR Norms?
Many companies have been affected because of GDPR. If your company is one of them, you should look at these tactics to prevent further hectic.
1. Data Encryption
Encryption is a technical process in which data is modified to keep privacy. Only those people can get access who possess the key or any other specific knowledge. According to FY 2018 survey, global companies have claimed that 58% of their encryption is extensively employed on their databases.
Data encryption doesn’t only secure your data but also reduces the penalty.
2. Compliance Responsibility
Data security is the responsibility of every individual of your company. Generally, two parties play a critical role in your company:
- Data Controller: It’s an entity that decides the means, conditions, and purpose of the data processing.
- Data Processor: It’s another entity that process data on behalf of the data controller.
GDPR has clearly defined the responsibility of every party. You should stay attentive to yours.
3. Educate Everyone
Only those business owners can educate who themselves study in the first place. When every single resource of your business is responsible for GDPR, why don’t you educate the whole team?
It’s highly recommended to make the whole team understand the legal terms, need, and further changes required under GDPR.
4. Categorization
Categorization results in the simplification. Once you determine which data is affected by the regulation guidelines, you will be more aware. All the HR documents, financial records, purchase history, contracts, and any other data of your European customers can be separated.
After separation, you will be able to recognize your data more transparently. You can conveniently track the location of data, its processing procedure, and the access.
5. Customization
Website of the company should be customized following the GDPR. If your company’s website is designed to collect cookies, you must keep consent and transparency as a top priority. The same applies to the squeeze pages of your website. Apart from this, customers must be provided with a function that enables customers to unsubscribe anytime.
6. Data Protection Officer
It’s a daunting task for a business owner to maintain everything properly. And when suddenly something appears out of the blue, the burden gets more massive. In such a case, entrepreneurs prefer to employ a data protection officer. However, time is appreciated by most of the entrepreneurs.
If you can’t make a balance between the data protection and actual business, a data protection officer can cover up all the issues regularly and systematically. Also, your resourceful time can be reinvested in something meaningful for more profit. Either way, you win!
Now here is the deal!
You should keep in mind that GDPR compliance isn’t a one-time game. You have to play it, again and again, to keep things in an appropriate order.
Data breaches are prevalent these days. A proactive approach should be encouraged to keep an eye on violations, leakage, and outdated data.
