Any business that operates today, no matter the size, relies on digital marketing in some way or another. Even if it’s just to gather data about an audience, information from the Internet is valuable currency to business owners. However, there are laws in place that govern how companies can use this information – and this year, there have been new laws regarding digital privacy that must be followed to the letter. In May of 2018, the EU created a privacy regulation called the GDPR, The General Data Protection Regulation. Here’s what you need to know to determine if your business is operating in compliance with this new international regulation.
What Is the GDPR and How Does It Impact Digital Privacy?
The GDPR is a regulation that says that any company that sells to European citizens – even European citizens who live elsewhere in the world – must follow certain laws about that person’s personal information. Anything at all regarding their life, including something as small as their name, to something as personal as their medical history, is under their control. European citizens now have the right to:
- Know when their information is being gathered, by what companies, and for what reason.
- Correct any information about them that is incorrect, and to have information about them transferred from one service to a competitor service at their request.
- Withdraw consent for the company to store or use any information about them.
- Be given access to all the information the company has about them, totally free of charge.
- Request that data about them not be used for any sort of digital marketing. People may object to their information being used for any reason, and this right has to be communicated to them by the company using the data.
- Be notified within 72 hours if the company has had a data breach.
Any company that sells to European citizens, or has data on European citizens, must allow any citizen to exercise these rights – regardless of where your place of business is. So what does that mean for your business?
How to Ensure Your Company is in Compliance with Digital Privacy Laws
Here’s what you need to check to ensure that you are in compliance with this new regulation:
- Be sure you know where your company data comes from. If any of your customers are European citizens, you’ll need to continue this compliance step.
- Make sure that your privacy statements include disclosures about European citizens’ rights, and that you have a thorough consent obtainment procedure when gathering data.
- Put heavy security measures in place for your data.
- Be sure you are only gathering the data you need for your digital marketing, and nothing more.
Organically Can Help!
At Organically, not only do we help you design your digital marketing campaigns, but we can also help you analyze your data to learn more about your customer base – including their whereabouts, so that you can know if you are in compliance with GDPR. Contact us today to learn more.