What is the GDPR?
You’ve probably been hearing the term GDPR a lot lately, and most likely receiving numerous opt-in emails from every company that you have ever handed your contact details over to, or purchased shopping from. Many are asking you to read their terms and conditions and confirm you wish to continue receiving correspondence.
The GDPR is a European Union (EU) wide set of rules about how your personal data is handled. It applies to collected data used by businesses and organizations, sets standards for how it is used, brings in rules for reporting data breaches, and provides greater protection for digital privacy. The GDPR aims primarily to give control to citizens and residents over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU.
The compliance deadline is May 25, and applies to any company handling EU data, including tech giants like Amazon, Facebook and Google and every other company that does international and ecommerce business.
Although GDPR is a movement towards safety and security, as with anything, the transition opens the door for security risks and identity theft. Take extra precaution if you find yourself in any of these situations.
- 1. An email seemingly from a service provider asking you to agree to new terms could be a hacker trying to get details. Check the source email and if in doubt, contact the service provider directly.
- 2. New website hacks will likely be centered around presenting a cookie/GDPR opt-in to the end user which collects their data.
- 3. Hackers will send you emails informing you that you are non-compliant and need to pay a fine or have your site removed.
Be super careful, stay informed of the risk and make sure that you never share money or site info without investigating the situation further.