How to Be GDPR Compliant and Protect Sensitive Data

With the rise of cyber threats and increasing scrutiny over how personal information is handled, the European Union (EU) introduced the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to safeguard the data privacy rights of its citizens.

Learn more about the essentials of GDPR, the potential consequences of failing to comply and practical steps to ensure your organization meets these critical requirements and can avoid hefty penalties. This blog is particularly useful for any companies that service or employ anyone in the EU.

Read: Is Your Business Cybersecurity Compliant?

What Is GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a comprehensive data protection and privacy law enacted by the EU and came into effect on May 25, 2018. Its primary aim is to protect the personal data and privacy of EU citizens and to give individuals greater control over how their personal information is collected, stored and used. GDPR accomplishes this by setting a high standard for data protection, imposing strict guidelines and significantly penalizing non-compliance.

The important detail about GDPR is that it doesn’t only apply to companies within the EU; any organization worldwide that collects and processes the personal data of EU residents and employees must meet GDPR compliance requirements. This requires companies to reevaluate how they store, share and protect sensitive customer data.

The 7 Key Principles of GDPR

GDPR is built on seven fundamental principles to protect data privacy:

1. Lawfulness, fairness and transparency: Data must be collected and processed lawfully, fairly and transparently. Individuals must also be informed about how their data is being used.
2. Purpose limitation: Data should be collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes.
3. Data minimization: Only the minimum amount of personal data that is necessary for the intended purpose should be collected.
4. Accuracy: Personal data must be accurate and kept up to date; correct or erase inaccurate personal data.
5. Storage limitation: Data should be kept in a form that permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary. Once their purpose is fulfilled, delete or anonymize the data.
6. Integrity and confidentiality: Personal data must be processed to ensure appropriate security, including protection against unauthorized or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage.
7. Accountability: Businesses must follow the GDPR principles and demonstrate their compliance.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Prioritizing data protection not only helps avoid legal repercussions but also builds trust with customers and enhances your company’s reputation. Failure to comply with GDPR can result in severe penalties, depending on the duration and severity of the violation.

The regulation allows for fines up to 20 million euros or 4% of the company’s annual global turnover, whichever is higher. You might also be asked to delete the personal data you hold or stop processing it.

How to Achieve GDPR Compliance

Keep in mind that achieving GDPR compliance is not a one-time task but an ongoing process that requires continuous attention and adaptation.

• Understand the GDPR requirements: Familiarize yourself with the GDPR’s principles, rights of data subjects and obligations of data controllers and processors.
• Data audit: Conduct a comprehensive audit to understand what personal data you collect, where it’s stored, how it’s used and who can access it.
• Update privacy policies: Ensure that your privacy policies are transparent, concise and easily accessible. They should clearly state how personal data is collected, used, stored and protected, and they should align with your other security policies.
• Obtain explicit consent: Obtain clear and explicit consent from data subjects before collecting their personal data. Consent must be freely given, specific, informed and ambiguous.
• Implement data protection measures: Adopt appropriate measures to protect personal data, such as encryption.
• Appoint a data protection officer (DPO): If your company processes a large amount of personal data, appoint a DPO to oversee data protection strategies and compliance, as well as serve as a contact point for data subjects.
• Ensure data subject rights: Facilitate and respect the rights of data subjects, including the rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing and data portability.
• Conduct data protection impact assessments (DPIAs): For high-risk data processing activities, conduct DPIAs to identify and mitigate potential risks to data subjects’ privacy.
• Report data breaches promptly: Develop and implement procedures to detect, report and investigate personal data breaches. Notify the relevant authorities within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach.
• Train employees: Educate and train your employees on GDPR requirements and data protection best practices to ensure compliance throughout your organization.

Manage GDPR Compliance with Thriveon

At Thriveon, we know how vital it is for your company to achieve and maintain GDPR compliance. We offer compliance services and help you meet regulatory requirements, especially when they change or update. This can expand your competitive edge and maintain compliance standards.

Schedule a meeting with us to see how we can help you meet GDPR compliance.