General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation introduced by the European Union (EU) in 2016, which provides protection and privacy rights to EU citizens in the digital age. The regulation replaces the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive and has been in effect since May 25, 2018.
The GDPR aims to ensure that personal data of individuals is collected, processed, and stored in a manner that is secure, transparent, and respectful of individual rights. It requires organizations to be accountable for the personal data they process and mandates them to implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect the data from unauthorized access or misuse.
Personal data, as defined under the GDPR, includes any information related to an identified or identifiable natural person, such as name, email address, or IP address. The GDPR applies to all organizations, regardless of location, that process personal data of individuals in the EU.
Some of the key provisions of the GDPR include:
- Right to Access: Individuals have the right to access their personal data that is being processed and to receive a copy of the data.
- Right to Erasure: Individuals have the right to request the deletion of their personal data if there is no longer a legitimate reason for its processing.
- Data Protection Officer (DPO): Organizations are required to appoint a DPO if they process large amounts of personal data or if the processing is a core activity of the organization.
- Data Breaches: Organizations are required to report data breaches to the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach.
- Privacy by Design: Organizations must consider privacy when designing and implementing new systems and processes that process personal data.
In conclusion, the GDPR provides individuals with greater control over their personal data and places obligations on organizations to ensure that they handle personal data in a responsible and secure manner. Organizations that do not comply with the GDPR can face severe fines, which can be up to 4% of their annual global revenue or 20 million euros, whichever is greater.