By now, you’re probably tired of hearing about the GDPR—but it’s for good reason. The General Data Protection Regulation is a landmark data privacy law enacted by the European Union to give individuals more control over their personal data. It came into effect on May 25, 2018, and applies to all organizations that process the personal data of individuals within the European Economic Area (EEA)—regardless of where the organization is based.
At its core, GDPR is about transparency, accountability, and user rights. It regulates how companies collect, store, process, and share personal data, and requires them to clearly explain these activities to users. Under GDPR, personal data includes anything that can identify an individual, such as names, IP addresses, location data, and more.
Organizations must have a legal basis for processing data—such as consent, contract necessity, or legitimate interest. One of the most talked-about aspects of GDPR is consent: it must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous. Companies must also enable individuals to withdraw consent just as easily as it was given.
GDPR also grants users several rights, including:
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The right to access their data
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The right to rectify inaccurate data
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The right to be forgotten (data erasure)
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The right to data portability
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The right to object to certain types of data processing
Failure to comply with GDPR can result in hefty fines—up to €20 million or 4% of a company’s global annual revenue, whichever is higher.
So yes, GDPR may seem like a regulatory headache, but it’s also a crucial step toward making the digital world safer and more respectful of personal privacy.