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ARTICLE · 19 JANUARY 2016

An Introduction To The European General Data Protection Regulation

Gowling WLG
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In January 2016, the European Commission revealed a draft of its General Data Protection Regulation to replace the previous Data Protection Directive...

European UnionPrivacy
Mark Hines
Mark Hines
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A new regulation

In January 2016, the European Commission revealed a draft of its General Data Protection Regulation to replace the previous Data Protection Directive, which was created to regulate the collection and use of personal data within the European Union.

The purpose of the new regulation is to harmonise differing data protection laws in force across the European Union. Importantly, because the legislation is a "regulation" instead of a "directive," it will be directly applicable to all EU member states without a need for national implementing legislation.

Overview of key changes

The impact of the Data Protection Regulation will be broad. Some of the key changes are:

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