12 Steps To Prepare For GDPR Compliance

GDPR is a regulation that requires businesses to protect the personal data and privacy of EU citizens for transactions that occur within EU member states; non-compliance could cost companies dearly. As of 25 May 2018 The General Data Protection Regulation becomes law.

Here’s how you can prepare for the upcoming enforcement:

1. Awareness
You should make sure that the decision makes and key people in your business 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 enforcement.

4. Individuals’ Rights
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
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 obtain parental or guardian consent for any data processing activity.

9. Data Breaches
You should make sure you have the 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 familarise yourself now with the ICO’s code of practice on Privacy, Impact Assessments as well 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 asses 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 business operates in more than one EU member state (ie 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.

Source: ico.org