When the European Union introduced the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on April 27, 2016, all businesses within European Union states had many questions and queries on how these new legislative rules will affect them.
Even though May 25, 2018 might sound far away, it is fast approaching… There are lots of processes that need to be put into place correctly in order for you to comply with the GDPR guidelines; so, avoid procrastinating and give yourself peace of mind you’re ready for this change.
Ultimately, by preparing for GDPR and following these stricter guidelines, residents of the EU’s personal data online will be protected, while uniting the 28 different privacy laws through the 28 EU member states into one.
In the market research industry, the handling of data is an extremely important aspect, which means if you haven’t started your preparations now, don’t put it off any longer otherwise you will not only be under a lot of stress in the next few months, but the hefty penalty you may receive if you do not comply, will hit your company hard.
Applying these stricter guidelines to the market research industry will be time-consuming, however in the long-run, it will ultimately leave your customers trusting you more, as their data will be kept secure within your database.
If you do not comply with the GDPR rules and regulations put in place, your company will receive a heavy penalty. You will firstly receive a written warning and then an investigation will take place. If you are found to have violated ANY part of the legislative package, you can be fined up to £20 million or 4% of your company’s worldwide turnover – whichever percentage is greater.
One question which keeps appearing is; “Will Brexit affect Great Britain and their GDPR compliance?” Even though Great Britain is exiting the EU, British companies will still have to comply with the same rules and regulations as anywhere is the world, as all organisation’s that collect, process or uses subjects from the EU’s personal data have to comply with GDPR.
If you are an organisation and unsure how to comply and prepare for the GDPR, have a look through this information guide from the Information Commissioner’s Office on the steps you need to take now.
BEAM Fieldwork is ready for GDPR, are you?