Every business nowadays relies heavily on digital platforms. Thanks to the presence of the internet and advanced technology, finding people that your company wants to reach out to becomes more accessible and faster. But just like anything else, this advantage also has its fair share of challenges.
Most websites today need to be efficient to stand out from the competition. One thing web creators do is build their respective databases. To make it happen, they begin collecting information from their site visitors.
Companies collect data for different purposes, and one good reason to gather personal data is to help with ad retargeting. When companies are free to follow people’s online engagement, they can gather valuable insights about their preferences. This information can help them determine their next steps into reaching their goals faster.
If you are a business owner catering to anyone within the EU, you’ll need to follow the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). What is it, exactly? This article will help you understand this set of rules before you build your website or implement any strategic online marketing.
Understanding European Parliament’s GDPR
GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation. It is a law drafted and passed by the European Union (EU) on May 25, 2018. and is now considered the most rigid privacy law in the world. Anyone who interacts and collects a user’s personal data in the EU is expected to understand the regulations before site creation.
Companies that are proven guilty of disobeying the law will have to pay a hefty fine. Depending on the situation, it could reach up to tens of millions of money.
What You Should Do as a Company or Organisation
The essence of this law is simple: you need to be responsible and accountable for the type of data protection that you provide. Here are some of the most notable duties mentioned in it.
- The whole process of data collection must be transparent, fair, and, more importantly, lawful for the data subjects.
- Companies and organisations almost always state their purpose for doing the data collection beforehand. You should follow what you say in this aspect and ensure that you process the data collection only for that goal.
- Only data relevant to the purpose should be requested at a time.
- Any data under your company is your responsibility. Therefore, you should always keep them updated and accurate as far as you can.
- Make sure that you use encryption to increase the security of your data collection processes and make people be more confident about your company.
- As a company, understand and accept your responsibilities as a data controller or creator of these databases.
How to Ensure That the Company Is Still Compliant to the Data Protection Principle
Here are some ways you can say that your company or any other company is GDPR compliant:
- Your team is familiar with data protection and your responsibilities for it
- They follow the definition of data protection as stated in the GDPR and their own set of rules for implementing it
- All staff are trained well about the law’s technical and organisational measures
- The team is always ready with a data protection agreement contract to also ensure their safety.
Conclusion
The GDPR came about after a user filed a complaint to Google about scanning her emails. Although it may seem like a simple complaint, it can bring serious consequences to their users later. This event started the development of the GDPR, and it has protected many personal lives since then. With its existence, many people can enjoy more of their privacy as they should.
Find yourself an online marketing agency in the UK that understands what GDPR is and can ensure you comply with it. Digital WebWorx Ltd is a digital marketing company that provides various online marketing services, such as web design, search engine optimisation, and social media. We implement the imposed data protection rules across our services. Book a call today to learn how we can help!