In the era of the internet, data protection has become the biggest concern for all. We are sending emails, paying bills online, using different websites where we enter our personal data. In the past many years, we have circulated most of our personal information on the web, and most of us are not even aware of the consequences of that.
In the same interest, the EU government ratified the GDPR Compliance (General Data Protection Regulation) on 25 May 2018, in order to provide the EU citizens with complete data protection.
It took over four years of preparation and debate for the GDPR compliance, to come into effect. After getting approved in the EU Parliament in 2016, it came into effect after two years, in 2018. The websites that, currently, are not compliant to GDPR, can face some legal action and fine.
The GDPR compliance is basically a set of rules that every organisation must follow in order to function legally in the European states. The compliance targets in reshaping the rules on how the companies should protect the data of people from EU using their services.
GDPR compliance replaced the old 95/46/EC Directive and was implemented as a law which is applicable to all EU countries and to the foreign organisations that are providing their services in the European states. Even GDPR has replaced the Directive, there are a few rules that are adopted from the old Directives in the GDPR.
What is GDPR?
GDPR is a regulation that was enforced by the EU government in every country in the EU, and on the companies that are operating their business in the EU countries. Those companies also include international companies, that are providing their services through online means such as through their websites to the EU citizens. The GDPR compliance aims at changing the way the various organisations collect the user’s data and use it, such that to achieve data privacy for the EU citizens.
Who is GDPR for?
The GDPR compliance is applicable to every entity that is functioning inside or outside the EU countries but providing its services to the EU citizens or using their personal data. It is a law, so it is automatically enforced on every organisation that is selling its goods or providing its services to the EU citizens.
What Personal data GDPR Intends to Protect?
The personal data is related to a person’s identity. So the primarily the following data can be accounted as in an individual’s personal data:
• A person’s full name
• Address
• Birthdate
• Phone number
• Email address
• Photos
• Content on their social media accounts
• Credit/debit card details
• Id card details
• Metadata
• IP address
• Genetic and biometric data (comes under the category of sensitive data)
The Right Against the Misuse of Data that an EU citizen holds: According to GDPR, there are a few rights that it has assigned to all the EU citizens in order to prevent the misuse of their personal data:
• Right to refuse
• Right to be informed
• Right to restrict processing
• Data portability
• Right to be ensured/right to be forgotten
• Rights related to automated
How Does Consent Work?
It is clear that to get your organisations to function legally in the EU region, you must get the consent from the EU citizens (also referred as Data Subject), using your services, whenever you are about to use their personal data. According to the GDPR compliance, when you ask a Data Subject for their consent, they must get a complete explanation of how and why you will be using their data. And, on the will of the Subject, he/she must be able to easily withdraw their consent.
Why it is High Time that Your Website Becomes GDPR Compliant?
The GDPR compliance is basically to protect the consumer rights of every EU citizen. According to the GDPR Directive, the company found guilty of failing GDPR will be charged 4% of annual global revenue of the company or 20 million Euros, whichever is greater. So it has become compulsory for every organisation that is doing business in the EU region, they start following the GDPR compliance.
Recently, even Google was fined by France a €50 Million upon Failing the GDPR Directives. Although the amount that was fined to Google was way lesser than the amount is set to be charged for such activity, it was the first time that a European regulation had fined a U.S. company with such a huge amount.
Now, even though the Compliance is a bit difficult to implement, as you have to have all the data about how and why you used the data of a user, and also, if there was a refusal by the user, there too, you need to keep a data as a proof, it still is a good opportunity for your business.
Following the GDPR, you have to be more concerned about the data of the user, and hence, there will be a reason for the user to trust your services.
It was in 2016 when the EU government had approved GDPR, but still, there are only 20 per cent businesses that have implied the GDPR compliance. In fact, according to the researches, 80 per cent of the businesses are still not aware of GDPR compliance or know a little about it. So it is the high time when every business should adopt GDPR in order to sustain in the EU market as well as to escape from the hefty fine they can face due to the lack of it. Also, being transparent to your customers, help you win their trust and gain more loyal customers.