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ARTICLE · 28 MARCH 2018

Ten Things Employers Need To Know About The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

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The GDPR which will have direct effect in Ireland from 25th May 2018 is one of the most significant developments in data protection law in decades.

IrelandPrivacy
Michelle Ryan
Michelle Ryan
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The GDPR which will have direct effect in Ireland from 25th May 2018 is one of the most significant developments in data protection law in decades. While data protection within the employment sphere is nothing new, there are changes in the GDPR which will have an impact from an employment law perspective which all employers should familiarise themselves with.

Breaches of GDPR will lead to significant consequences for employers, including fines of up to €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is greater.

In Ireland, the Data Protection Bill, 2018 was published on 30th January 2018 and the final text of the Act is still awaited. That said, the obligation on employers as data controllers will have immediate effect in May 2018 and GDPR should be on all employers' agenda now in order to achieve compliance by the 25th May deadline.

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