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UK GDPR law, or General Data Protection Regulation, came into effect on May 25th, 2018 – bringing with it a raft of comprehensive changes to the law surrounding the safe and correct handling of personal information by companies and businesses. Though the regulations can seem inaccessible from the outset, the principles are simple – and training your staff on those principles could be crucial not just for complying with the law, but also for the function of your business.
Improving Cyber Security
The primary reason for the introduction of the GDPR law is to increase safety of private and personal information. As global business and infrastructure increasingly shifted to digital solutions and online spaces, concerns about the security of information, whether at the hands of the administrative staff or held in digital databases and online servers, rose. GDPR mandates the protection of this information, and the systemic anonymisation of identifiable personal information to protect employees, consumers and visitors alike.
This anonymisation is not only preventative but also an effective method in reducing the effects of cybercrime. In addition, GDPR law mandates the establishment of a Data Protection Officer in each company, who is the designated handler of data and of GDPR compliance. The existence of a DPO makes clear who is authorised to access or receive data, reducing the likelihood of a staff member inadvertently falling victim to a cyber-scam and releasing private information.
Reducing Risk of Lawsuits
GDPR effectively criminalises the poor handling or treatment of collected personal information under the Data Protection Act of 2018, with unlimited fines as a possible punishment for businesses found to have broken it. This also opens up avenues for civil cases, whereby a company may be at risk of being opened up to professional negligence claims if personal information is tampered with or released without consent. Training staff in GDPR law across your company can reduce the likelihood of data mismanagement.
Meeting DSAR Requirements
DSAR, or Data Subject Access Request, is a sub-section of GDPR law that enables and empowers individuals to request access to personal data held by a company or organisation. There are wide-ranging practical applications for this law, from requests to discover how much personal information a company might be holding to recovering CCTV footage that includes them, whether for personal reasons or as evidence relating to a crime or personal injury. Your staff need to know how this sub-section of the law works in order to correctly apply it to DSARs, which could be crucial to an ongoing police investigation.
Minimising Human Error
While GDPR may seem like additional administration and strife for a company, it can also provide a useful framework not only for the safe handling of business and customer data but for the accurate storage of it as well. A well-trained staff cohort that understands the processes behind accessing and moving data are less likely to make errors in those processes, ensuring your company runs smoother while maintaining legal compliance.
