Get Ready for The GDPR – 25th May 2018

Is your business ready for the GDPR? If you need help or advice about these new regulations get in touch with us.

What is the GDPR?

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and was designed to harmonise data privacy laws across Europe. Its aim is to protect and empower all EU citizens data privacy. It requires organisations to radically change their approach data privacy.

GDPR gives citizens greater control over how their data can be used and stored. Citizens have the right to choose to submit their details, understand why their details are needed, access their stored details and have them erased upon request.

The regulations come into enforcement on 25th May 2018 and anyone who does not comply with the regulations faces severe fines.

How Does the GDPR Affect my Business?

If you collect client names, telephone numbers, email addresses you must comply with the new regulations. Many businesses have a contact form on their website that harvests users names and email addresses. Under the new regulations, you have to explicitly gain permission to collect users details. The user must opt-in.

Website contact forms, newsletter registration forms and checkout pages will need to have tick boxes for users to confirm they agree to opt in.

If you have a website you will need a separate page clearly stating why users data is collected, how it is stored and for how long it is stored.

Under the GDPR users have the right to access any of their details that you store. They also have the right to request that you delete all their details.

Brexit and the GDPR

The GDPR enforcement date has been set for May 25th 2018. As the UK will still be an EU member at this point, it will be subject to the rules from this date.

Businesses should not expect their GDPR obligations to end when Brexit occurs in March 2019. The British government has already proposed a new Data Protection Bill that will enshrine the basics of GDPR.

Basically there is no escape, if you do not comply with the GDPR you run the risk of incurring steep fines.

How Carawebs can Help

Get in touch and we can advise and help you to comply with the GDPR.

We can create new web forms, write policy pages, advise on data storage, create easy ways to access, export and when necessary delete client data.

Contact us for some friendly advice.