GDPR
GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation. It is a European-wide data protection law which came into effect on the 25th of May 2018. It applies to all businesses in the UK, including the self-employed, sole traders, small businesses & organisations.
The UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 set out exemptions from some of the rights and obligations in some circumstances. Whether or not you can rely on an exemption often depends on why you process personal data. You should not routinely rely on exemptions. You should consider them on a case-by-case basis & you should justify and document your reasons for relying on an exemption. If no exemption covers what you do with personal data, you need to comply with the UK GDPR as normal.
Since 1998 there have been so many technological changes, the amount of data we use has gone up exponentially, and continues to grow.
The new law came about to improve the existing Data Protection Act, making it relevant to current times so our data can be safer and we can have more control over it. It also aims to establish a unified set of data protection rules across the member states of European Union.
GDPR aims to protect individuals information, by making companies more responsible for how they handle the data they collect. This includes data about employees, clients, and suppliers as well. There are fines of up to £17 million or 4% of turnover (whichever is greater) for those who fail to comply with the new regulations.
Even though the UK has now left the European Union, UK businesses have had to comply with the new laws from when they were implemented.
What Steps Can You Take To Ensure That You Are Compliant?
If you are self-employed, a sole trader or run a small business or organisation, here are a few things you can do.
- Go to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) website.
On the site, you can get an overview of what GDPR is an how it will affect you and your business going forward. Here is the link:
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/ - Put systems in place.
If you are self-employed, you are likely to be the point of contact for all GDPR activities, including compliance, monitoring and answering any related queries. Try to put a plan together that is based on the GDPR’s directives. Make sure to include a way to find out if your data has been compromised, so you can notify the relevant authorities within the required time span. You can reduce the chances of data breaches by having adequate data security measures in place, on and offline. - Get any necessary consent.
One of the key requirements of the new law is that of consent. In certain situations, you are required to have clear and specific consent from individuals that shows that they are ok with how you intend to handle their data.
Many of the laws from the GDPR are similar to the previous Data Protection Act, so there is a good chance you are already following some of the processes, but there might be a few changes that you should have made already so as to be fully compliant.
If you are not already managing your data according to the GDPR standards then it may be a good idea to seek professional advice from an expert who knows about GDPR.
Neil Hodgson
neilh.
Delivering Compliant Customer Interactions
