Any digital marketer working with customer and prospect data has probably always known that this day would come:
legislators are cracking down on any and all dodgy data-gathering practices.
At the moment, the legislation is all about customers and prospects resident in the UK or Europe, but don’t expect it to stop there.
If you market to the UK and the European Union, or have clients anywhere in Great Britain or Europe (no matter where your own business is based), you absolutely must get yourself up to speed with the new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), which comes into effect on May 25, 2018. If you don’t, you are potentially liable for fines of up to €20 million or 4% of your global turnover.
What is GDPR?
Let’s cut to the chase. What exactly is GDPR, and why should marketers care?
Steven MacDonald gives us a helpful explanation:
“The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new digital privacy regulation being introduced on the 25th May, 2018. It standardizes a wide range of different privacy legislations across the EU into one central set of regulations that will protect users in all member states.
“Put simply, this means companies will now be required to build in privacy settings into their digital products and websites – and have them switched on by default.
“Companies also need to regularly conduct privacy impact assessments, strengthen the way they seek permission to use the data, document the ways they use personal data and improve the way they communicate data breaches.
“And, because it’s a regulation and not a directive, it is legally binding – meaning it cannot be opted out of, or ignored. In fact, failing to comply could lead to fines of up to €20 million or 4% of your global turnover.”
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May we recommend that you check out our short book on the topic of GDPR (and its relevance for marketers everywhere):
“What Marketers Must Know About GDPR: Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation and its Marketing Implications” is an essential guide to the European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulation. It’s been written and compiled by highly-experienced marketer MICHAEL CARNEY
