Be Smart and Legal With Data Collection By Following These 3 GDPR-Approved Steps
If you market to EU consumers, then it’s vital to ensure you are GDPR-compliant. Continue reading to learn what that entails and how you can create a safer data privacy program.
If you are based in the European Union or market and sell to EU-based consumers and businesses, then crafting a comprehensive data privacy program isn’t just good business sense, it’s required business sense. This is because of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This law became effective in May of 2018 and described how every company must work to ensure the personal data of EU citizens is kept secure. Failure to do so results in stiff penalties and fines that can cripple a small or mid-sized business.
Building a Data Privacy Program That is GDPR-Approved
The following is a look at some of those GDPR requirements and the three essential steps every company should take to create a comprehensive data privacy program that meets those requirements and then some:
First off, note that even if your business is not in the EU nor have had a confirmed sale by an EU consumer, you are still subject to GDPR compliance if you market goods and services to residents of the EU. This is a prominent law with a lot of nitty-gritty details, but the important general requirements made for businesses include:
- Getting the consent of all residents for any type of data processing
- Anonymizing collected data to further protect user privacy
- Ensuring data is safely handled or otherwise transferred between borders
- Immediate and direct notification of any kind of data breach
- Appointing a data protection officer from approved companies to confirm GDPR compliance
3 Key Steps to Create a Comprehensive, GDPR-Approved Data Privacy Program
Except perhaps the last bullet point, all the above requirements are functional requirements for every business, regardless if they are marketing to EU consumers or not. These are requirements that protect your most valuable asset — your buyers — and as such, are conditions all businesses should use to determine if they have a comprehensive data privacy program. Get started meeting that bar with the following three key steps:
- Understand your bread and butter data. To create a plan, you first need to know what that plan needs to look at. Complete an assessment of your company and the systems, processes, and data you require to thrive. What type of data are you currently collecting and how is it being used, stored, and kept secure? Once you get an idea of this, you’ll also get an idea of where you’re failing — such as asking for user consent for storing purchase location information.
- Know your third-parties. A big part of the risk of data collection may not be with your company but maybe third parties that you do business with or share information with. This includes things like third-party apps integrated with your business store. If one of those third parties has a data breach, the responsibility for lost consumer data will still be with you if it was not adequately transmitted in a secured manner.
- Hire professional help. Whenever you’re seeking approval from any type of regulation industry or are trying to get your business to meet those standards, it is always beneficial to hire outside help. A professional can look specifically at how your business and business website collects data and inform you of the necessary methods to collect, anonymize, store, and ultimately secure that data.
Contact Our Team to Learn More About Data Protection
These steps are only the start of making a business website, online store, and in-site network secure and protected from data leaks and breaches. Protecting your business isn’t just about staying in line with acronym regulations, it’s also about protecting your assets and keeping your business safe. Contact our team today or subscribe to our blog to stay updated on the latest tips and tech advice that’ll keep your company safe and data secure.
