General Data Protection Regulation: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the General Data Protection Regulation?

The General Data Protection Regulation (the "GDPR") (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) is a European Union regulation intended to harmonize data privacy laws across Europe and increase data privacy protections for all European Union citizens. The GDPR was approved by the European Council and Parliament on April 14, 2016 and will come into force beginning on May 25, 2018. The GDPR will replace the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC (the "Directive"), which required each member state of the European Union to pass national legislation to implement the intended outcome of the Directive. The result was a patchwork of similar, yet distinct, data privacy laws across the European Union member states. By contrast, the GDPR will have immediate and direct legal effect throughout the European Union because it is a regulation and not merely a directive. This also means that companies to whom the GDPR will apply (including companies