GDPR ComplianceServices

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is EU legislation that protects personal data and privacy. It applies to all organizations that process personal data of EU residents, regardless of where the organization is located. This includes companies outside the EU that offer goods or services to EU residents or monitor their behavior.

Key GDPR requirements include: obtaining valid consent for data processing, implementing privacy by design, appointing a Data Protection Officer (DPO) when required, conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), ensuring data subject rights (access, rectification, erasure, portability), implementing appropriate security measures, maintaining documentation of processing activities, and reporting data breaches within 72 hours.

GDPR violations can result in fines up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher. The severity depends on the nature, gravity, and duration of the violation. Supervisory authorities can also issue warnings, reprimands, order data processing restrictions, or require compliance within a specified period.

A DPO is mandatory if your organization: (1) is a public authority, (2) processes data on a large scale as a core activity, or (3) processes special categories of data or criminal conviction data on a large scale. Even if not mandatory, appointing a DPO can help demonstrate accountability and improve compliance.

A DPIA is a process to identify and minimize data protection risks. It's required before processing operations that are likely to result in high risk to individuals' rights and freedoms. A DPIA must describe the processing, assess necessity and proportionality, identify risks, and outline measures to address them.

GDPR compliance timeline varies based on organization size, current state, and complexity. A comprehensive gap analysis typically takes 2-4 weeks, implementation can take 3-6 months for medium organizations, and 6-12 months for large enterprises. Ongoing compliance requires continuous monitoring and annual audits.

GDPR grants individuals eight key rights: (1) Right to be informed, (2) Right of access, (3) Right to rectification, (4) Right to erasure ('right to be forgotten'), (5) Right to restrict processing, (6) Right to data portability, (7) Right to object, and (8) Rights related to automated decision-making and profiling.