GDPR is the much bigger and badder brother to the EU Cookie Policy that was introduced a few years ago and that no one paid any real attention to. It’s only 3-months before GDPR gets real and if you haven’t heard about it yet, check out this link.

The problem is that many small business owners and freelancers don’t have any training or understanding around the mechanics of GDPR. A lot of it is very hazy and local governments are doing little to help. It seems that the policy is “let’s wait to see what happens..”  – thats great for them, not for the freelancer with the big fine from the EU!

GDPR Compliancy is not just for billion dollar social media companies or search engines, someone working alone in their bedroom might think that none of this applies to them. I suspect that the EU will love nothing more than making an example out of someone small or a company to enforce this legalisation into the public consciousness, the smaller..the quicker and easier.

But I don’t collect any customer “data”…?

Do you use Google Analytics? do you have a contact form? do you have a blog or newsletter?  = You collect data! – even if you don’t do any of these, you will need to check your website backend and review the plugins as most “free” plugins from the likes WordPress, Drupal, Magento etc are probably collecting data from your visitors or sending signals in the background.

I’m in the US, nuthin’ to do with me!

Wrong! If you have any EU visitors visiting your website, then your website needs to the GDPR compliant. Marketo says – “The GDPR applies to any organization inside or outside the EU who is marketing goods or services to, and/or tracking the behaviors of, EU citizens. If you do business with Europeans that involves the processing of their personal data, this legislation applies to you” sorry dudes.

The internet is too big, they will never find me..

Of course, there is no global internet police force to monitor every single website but all it takes is for one of your visitors or data subjects to report you to your local authority for failing to comply with the legislation and then you are in trouble.

Brexit means we are not in the EU anymore, so there..

GDPR will also apply 100% to the UK, theres no getting away from it! –  before the UK leaves the EU, all EU laws will be absorbed by the UK and this includes the big fat GDPR legislation.

Ok so what do I need to do?

There’s no cookie cutter document or one fits all answer to getting started with GDPR and theres no badge or certification award when feel you become compliant – every website is different and how data is handled. We have compiled these online resources to give you a headstart but it is worth consulting with a GDPR compliance officer to make sure you are totally covered.

Don’t freak out, take your time and review what you need to do. It’s simply about responsibility of your visitor’s data. This helpful list of resources will tell you everything you need to know.

Informational Videos

Get started with these informational videos to give you some GDPR context.

Free GDPR webinar Archive

GDPR in 5 Minutes

Key Resources

We have complied these resources to help your GDPR compliancy.

GDPR Audit Template

GDPR Self Assessment

GDPR Toolkit

GDPR Terms

GDPR Privacy Policy Generator

GDPR Checklist

If you have any helpful information or tips relating to GDPR, please comment below!

Important Disclaimer

Please do not take the information provided as having any legal basis. The content, text, links and resources provided on this page is for informational purposes only. Please contact a legal professional.

 

Tags: Compliance, GDPR, Learning & Development, Legal