The GDPR is due to come into force on 25 May. Any business found not sticking to the rules could be charged fines of up to €20 million or 4% of the company’s global annual turnover, though the toughest fines will be reserved for the worst data breaches or data abuse. If you’re currently running a blog or an online business- keep on reading.
Disclaimer: this post is not legal advice, for all the information on General Data Protection Regulations, see the GDPR site or seek professional advice. This is just my interpretation of the upcoming changes & what I’m personally planning on doing in order to meet the requirements.
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and was designed to harmonize data privacy laws across Europe, to protect and empower all EU citizens data privacy and to reshape the way organizations across the region approach data privacy. The key articles of the GDPR, as well as information on its business impact, can be found throughout this site.
GDPR changes how personal data can be used. Individuals, organizations, and companies that are either ‘controllers’ or ‘processors’ of personal data will be covered by the GDPR. A data controller states how and why personal data is processed, while a processor is a party doing the actual processing of the data. Basically, the controller could be any organization, from a profit-seeking company to a charity or government, while a processor could be an IT firm doing the actual data processing.
In short, GDPR applies to anyone collecting data from UK and EU citizens. Thus, if you own a blog or website, have a mailing list, collect e-mails to send newsletters, run an online business/shop or gather any kind of information for services, then you need to comply.
The most important thing you need to do is make sure you’re notifying your readers/clients about any data collection on your website. You can also no longer use the information collected for anything other than it’s intended purpose and you need to be very transparent about the way you’re using and storing personal data.
Here’s what you should start thinking about:
As for bloggers & small online business owners, it basically all comes down to being transparent to your readers, clients and making sure their data is safe and is not misused.
Now you might need to make some amendments to how you’re currently collecting the data, shall we get to work?
If you’re currently collecting e-mails for your newsletter, here’s how you can comply with the new regulations:
All in all, just be respectful of your subscribers’ needs and only collect the data that is necessary.
If you’re currently running a blog or a website, you should make sure:
The above covers some of the main edits that will help you comply with new GDPR changes. If you think I’ve forgotten to include anything, it would be awesome if you could let me know in the comments, so I can expand this list!
Whatever you do, just make sure to remember the words CONSENT. Whenever you collect any type of data from people, you have to make sure they agreed and are aware of what’s going to be done with this information and you have to keep your word on this. As long as you follow this main rule, everything else should come into place.
I am a digital products seller with over 10 years of experience! They have built multiple design and education brands, as well as a successful 7-figure e-commerce business from scratch. Get ready to learn from their wealth of knowledge in online marketing and profit-making.
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