Lecture Notes: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) What is GDPR? The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European Union (EU) regulation that aims to protect the personal data of EU residents. It sets out strict rules for how organizations can collect, store, use, and share personal data. Key Principles of GDPR ● Lawfulness, Fairness, and Transparency: Organizations must have a lawful basis for processing personal data and must be transparent about their data processing activities. ● Purpose Limitation: Personal data must be collected for specific, explicit, and legitimate purposes and not processed further in a manner incompatible with those purposes. ● Data Minimization: Only the necessary personal data should be collected and processed. ● Accuracy: Personal data must be accurate and kept up-to-date. ● Storage Limitation: Personal data should not be stored for longer than necessary. ● Integrity and Confidentiality: Personal data must be processed in a manner that ensures its security and integrity. ● Accountability: Organizations must be able to demonstrate compliance with the GDPR. Rights of Data Subjects ● Access: Individuals have the right to access their personal data. ● Rectification: Individuals have the right to rectify inaccurate or incomplete personal data. ● Erasure: Individuals have the right to have their personal data erased under certain circumstances. ● Restriction of Processing: Individuals have the right to restrict the processing of their personal data under certain circumstances. ● Data Portability: Individuals have the right to receive their personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller. ● Object to Processing: Individuals have the right to object to the processing of their personal data based on legitimate grounds. Consequences of Non-Compliance Organizations that fail to comply with the GDPR can face significant fines, up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover. They may also suffer reputational damage and loss of customer trust. Best Practices for GDPR Compliance ● Data Mapping: Conduct a thorough data mapping exercise to identify all personal data processed by the organization. ● Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs): Conduct DPIAs for high-risk data processing activities. ● Consent Management: Obtain meaningful consent from data subjects for the processing of their personal data. ● Employee Training: Train employees on data protection principles and best practices. ● Incident Response Plan: Develop a plan for responding to data breaches and other security incidents. Conclusion The GDPR is a significant piece of legislation that has far-reaching implications for organizations that process personal data of EU residents. By understanding the key principles and requirements of the GDPR, organizations can ensure compliance and protect the privacy of individuals.