Confused about the GDPR? Here's where to start

So you have a website for your business, and you’ve heard there are changes to the way site visitor data is collected and used, but you don’t know much about it. Do you need to make any changes? Here’s a quick guide.

• The rule is called the European Union General Data Protection Regulation.

• GDPR is broad in scope and uses broad definitions. “Personal data” is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable living individual (data subject) such as a name, email address, tax ID number, online identifier, etc. “Processing” data includes actions such as collecting, recording, storing and transferring data.

• A company that is not established in the Union may have to comply with the Regulation when processing personal data of EU and EEA residents (EEA countries are Norway, Lichtenstein and Switzerland):
  a) If the company offers goods or services to data subjects in the EU; or,
  b) If the company is monitoring data subjects’ behavior taking place within the EU.

• If you do no business outside of the United States, you do not need to take any action.

• However, it’s still a good policy to place a notice on your site that informs visitors how you use their data, and how they can request to have theirs removed, if they wish.

• If you do business in Europe and elsewhere, as a general rule, companies that are not established in the EU but that are subject to GDPR must designate in writing an EU representative for purposes of GDPR compliance. There is an exception to this requirement for small scale, occasional processing of non-sensitive data.

• Visit this site to read more about regulations and rules in place now, and upcoming: https://www.privacyshield.gov/article?id=European-Union-Data-Privatization-and-Protection

If you need help making changes to your website, contact your webmaster, or we can help - email us on j.davidsondesign@gmail.com .