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The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): A Comprehensive Guide

Michael Chabon

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Published in The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): A Practical Guide

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The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the most comprehensive data protection law in the world. It regulates the processing of personal data by businesses and organizations in the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA). The GDPR came into effect on May 25, 2018, and has since had a major impact on businesses around the world.

What is personal data?

Personal data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable living individual. This includes information such as:

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): A Practical Guide

by Peter O'Mahoney

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Language	:	English
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Name
Address
Email address
Telephone number
Date of birth
Gender
Race
Ethnic origin
Political opinions
Religious beliefs
Trade union membership
Health data
Genetic data
Biometric data
Location data
Online identifiers

What is the GDPR?

The GDPR is a regulation that sets out a number of rules that businesses and organizations must follow when processing personal data. These rules include:

Transparency: Businesses and organizations must be transparent about how they collect, use, and share personal data.
Purpose limitation: Businesses and organizations must only collect personal data for specific, legitimate purposes and cannot use it for other purposes without obtaining the consent of the data subject.
Data minimization: Businesses and organizations must only collect the minimum amount of personal data necessary for the specific purpose for which it is being collected.
Accuracy: Businesses and organizations must take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal data they collect is accurate and up to date.
Storage limitation: Businesses and organizations must only store personal data for as long as necessary for the specific purpose for which it is being processed.
Security: Businesses and organizations must implement appropriate security measures to protect personal data from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or destruction.
Data subject rights: Data subjects have a number of rights under the GDPR, including the right to access, rectify, and erase their personal data, the right to restrict the processing of their personal data, and the right to data portability.

Who does the GDPR apply to?

The GDPR applies to any business or organization that processes personal data of individuals in the EU or the EEA, regardless of whether the business or organization is located in the EU or the EEA. This means that businesses and organizations outside the EU or the EEA that offer goods or services to individuals in the EU or the EEA must comply with the GDPR.

What are the penalties for違反 of the GDPR?

Businesses and organizations that violate the GDPR may be subject to significant penalties, including fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher. National data protection authorities are responsible for enforcing the GDPR and can impose fines and other penalties on businesses and organizations that violate the regulation.

How can businesses and organizations comply with the GDPR?

There are a number of steps that businesses and organizations can take to comply with the GDPR. These steps include:

Conducting a data audit: Businesses and organizations should conduct a data audit to identify all of the personal data that they collect, use, and share.
Developing a data protection policy: Businesses and organizations should develop a data protection policy that sets out their policies and procedures for handling personal data.
Implementing appropriate security measures: Businesses and organizations should implement appropriate security measures to protect personal data from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or destruction.
Training staff: Businesses and organizations should train their staff on the GDPR and their obligations under the regulation.
Responding to data subject requests: Businesses and organizations should have procedures in place for responding to data subject requests, such as requests for access, rectification, and erasure of personal data.

The GDPR is a complex and comprehensive data protection law. Businesses and organizations that process personal data of individuals in the EU or the EEA must comply with the GDPR or face significant penalties. There are a number of steps that businesses and organizations can take to comply with the GDPR, including conducting a data audit, developing a data protection policy, implementing appropriate security measures, training staff, and responding to data subject requests.