25th May 2018 saw the European Union (EU) enforcement of the
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Aimed at consolidating existing data privacy laws across Europe,
GDPR is designed to regulate how data can be collated and the
purpose of use, by giving individuals greater autonomy on how their
personal information can be stored and processed.
Unlike its predecessor, the 1995 Data Protection Directive, the
scope of GDPR is wider reaching and its applicability extends
beyond the EU, as organisations right down to individuals that fall
within the remit of being "controllers" or
"processors" of the personal data of EU subjects are
accountable under GDPR. As such, failure to comply with obligations
under GDPR could see guilty parties imposed fines of up to
€20million or 4% of their annual global turnover (whichever is
greater).
