What Is GDPR?

GDPR stands for the General Data Protection Regulation, which is a comprehensive data privacy regulation that came into effect on May 25, 2018, across the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). The regulation is designed to protect the personal data and privacy of individuals within the EU/EEA and to give individuals more control over their personal data.

Here are some key aspects of the GDPR:

1. Personal Data: GDPR defines personal data as any information that can identify a person, such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, or even online identifiers like IP addresses.
2. Consent: Organizations must obtain clear and informed consent from individuals before processing their personal data. This means people must actively agree (opt-in) to having their data collected.
3. Data Subject Rights: Individuals (referred to as “data subjects”) have several rights under GDPR, including:
   • Right to access: The right to know what data is being collected and how it is being used.
   • Right to rectification: The right to correct incorrect data.
   • Right to erasure (right to be forgotten): The right to have data deleted under certain conditions.
   • Right to data portability: The right to move data from one service to another.
   • Right to object: The right to object to certain types of data processing, like marketing.
4. Data Protection by Design and by Default: Organizations are required to integrate data protection measures into their systems and processes from the start (design) and ensure that only necessary data is collected (default).
5. Data Breaches: If a data breach occurs that may compromise personal data, organizations must notify both the affected individuals and regulatory authorities within 72 hours.
6. Fines: Non-compliance with GDPR can result in significant penalties. Organizations can face fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher.

GDPR has been a major step forward in strengthening data privacy laws globally, influencing many countries to update their data protection frameworks.