All businesses that handle personal data must ensure that they are aware of the new rules and examine the processes they currently have in place to ensure they continue to comply with the law.
Handling information is a crucial part of running a good business. It enhances your reputation and increases employee and customer confidence. You will also save time and money by ensuring personal information is accurate, relevant and safe.
Are you a data controller or a data processor?
Data Controller – A controller determines the purposes and means of processing personal data. They are the individual or legal person who controls and is responsible for rather keeping and use of personal information on computers or structural manual files.
Data Processor – A processor is a person who processes data on behalf of a data controller. They obtain, hold and process data such as organising, altering or adapting data.
For more information visit the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Here are 12 tips from the ICO:
1. Awareness
You should make sure that decision-makers and key people in your organisation are aware that the law is changing to the GDPR. They need to appreciate the impact this is likely to have
2. Information you hold
You should document what personal data you hold, where it came from and who you share it with. You may need to organise an information audit.
3. Communicating privacy information
You should review your current privacy notices and put a plan in place for making any necessary changes in time for GDPR implementation.
4. Individuals’ rights
You should check your procedures to ensure they cover all the rights individuals have, including how you would delete personal data or provide data electronically and in a commonly used format.
5. Subject access requests
You should update your procedures and plan how you will handle requests within the new timescales and provide any additional information.
6. Lawful basis for processing personal data
You should identify the lawful basis for your processing activity in the GDPR, document it and update your privacy notice to explain it.
7. Consent
You should review how you seek, record and manage consent and whether you need to make any changes. Refresh existing consents now if they don’t meet the GDPR standard.
8. Children
You should start thinking now about whether you need to put systems in place to verify individuals’ ages and to obtain parental or guardian consent for any data processing activity.
9. Data Breaches
You should make sure you have the right procedures in place to detect, report and investigate a personal data breach.
10. Data Protection by Design and Data Protection Impact Assessments
You should familiarise yourself now with the ICO’s code of practice on Privacy Impact Assessments as well as the latest guidance from the Article 29 Working Party, and work out how and when to implement them in your organisation.
11. Data Protection Officers
You should designate someone to take responsibility for data protection compliance and assess where this role will sit within your organisation’s structure and governance arrangements. You should consider whether you are required to formally designate a Data Protection Officer.
12. International
If your organisation operates in more than one EU member state (i.e. you carry out cross-border processing), you should determine your lead data protection supervisory authority. Article 29 Working Party guidelines will help you do this.