GDPR Compliance:  General Data Protection Regulation

GDPR significantly increases individuals' control over their personal data. It includes rights such as the right to access their data, the right to have incorrect data corrected, the right to have their data deleted (the right to be forgotten), the right to restrict processing of their data, and the right to data portability.

Under GDPR, firms must ensure that personal data is processed lawfully, transparently, and for a specific purpose. When personal data is collected, the individual must give explicit consent for its processing, and this consent can be withdrawn at any time.

GDPR mandates that data breaches which may pose a risk to individuals must be notified to the supervisory authority within 72 hours of the organization becoming aware of it. If the breach is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals, those individuals must be notified directly.

GDPR imposes severe penalties for non-compliance, which can reach up to €20 million or 4% of the company's global annual turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is higher, representing a substantial increase over previous penalties standards.

GDPR requires organizations to conduct DPIAs where data processing operations are likely to result in high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals. This involves systematically considering the potential impact that a project or initiative might have on the privacy of individuals and acting to mitigate that risk before processing.

The DPO's responsibilities include overseeing data protection strategy, providing advice on GDPR compliance, and acting as a point of contact for the supervisory authorities. The requirement applies to public authorities, firms that engage in large scale systematic monitoring, or companies that engage in large scale processing of sensitive data.