The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was implemented on
May 25, 2018. While it officially only affects European citizens,
it has worldwide effects.
As discussed previously on The Spotlight, any organization
offering goods or services to residents of the European Union (EU)
are expected to comply with the GDPR, even without a physical
presence in the EU. Therefore, Canadian businesses which collect or
process personal data on individuals resident in the EU have been
(or should have been) preparing for these changes.
An interesting development is the public announcement of large
technology companies, such as Microsoft and Facebook, to have
GDPR-compliant services for all users worldwide. Microsoft's
Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Julia Brill,
announced that the company has always
supported GDPR and believes privacy is a fundamental human right.
Microsoft will extend GDPR rights worldwide through tools and
services backed by contractual
