General Data Protection Regulation, have overhauled how businesses process and handle data. Our need-to-know GDPR guide explains what the changes mean for you
Europe is now covered by the world’s strongest data protection rules. The mutually agreed General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force on May 25, 2018, and was designed to modernise laws that protect the personal information of individuals.
GDPR applies across the entirety of Europe but each individual country has the ability to make its own small changes. In the UK, the government has created a new Data Protection Act (2018) which replaces the 1998 Data Protection Act.
The GDPR is Europe’s new framework for data protection laws – it replaces the previous 1995 data protection directive. Previous UK law was based upon this directive.
The EU’s GDPR website says the legislation is designed to «harmonise» data privacy laws across Europe as well as give greater protection and rights to individuals. Within the GDPR there are large changes for the public as well as businesses and bodies that handle personal information, which we’ll explain in more detail later.
After more than four years of discussion and negotiation, GDPR was adopted by both the European Parliament and the European Council in April 2016. The underpinning regulation and directivewere published at the end of that month.
After publication of GDPR in the EU Official Journal in May 2016, it will come into force on May 25, 2018. The two year preparation period has given businesses and public bodies covered by the regulation to prepare for the changes.
We don’t claim to have all the answers. In between a lot of GDPR hype there has also been some incredibly useful resources that have been published on the regulation. Here’s where to go if you’re looking for more in-depth reading:
– The full regulation. It’s 88 pages long and has 99 articles.
– The ICO’s guide to GDPR is essential for both consumers and those working within businesses.
– EU GDPR is full with information on the regulation. It details all you need to know and has a handy countdown clock for when GDPR will come into force.
– The EU’s Article 29 data protection group is publishing guidelines on data breach notifications, transparency, and subject access requests.
