What Is GDPR?

GDPR

Are you an avid internet user? If yes, you must know about every limitation about your usage on various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and other sites after the reinforcement of GDPR in May, 2018. What is known as the General Data Protection Regulation is protected by the European Union in order to protect the data of the internet users in the EU.

The rules have been made more stringent following the Cambridge Analytica Scandal at Facebook , and they ensure the proper protection of data of the internet users, especially for the residents of the European Union.

What Is GDPR?

The rules of GDPR would apply to 28 member states associated with the EU, and it requires the companies to have more openness about the volume of data, they store and collect from their users, and definitely who they share the data with.

Any companies running their businesses through digital platforms must follow the new rules of the GDPR, or confront harsh penalties from the organization.

The data theft scandal by Facebook is an apt example, why internet users must have enough knowledge about the individuals seeking information about their activities.

Whereas Facebook is concerned, they are ready to make some changes to their data policies and ensure no further leaks of users’ information, including harnessing the tactics of advertising policies on their sites.

As per GDPR rules, every business –be it household names like Facebook, Twitter, banks, insurers or health care providers; everyone needs to follow the rules of GDPR.

This is the reason, why do you come across the pop out of ‘updated privacy policy’ on a specific site most often.

This way, the new law of GDPR ensures internet users in the EU a full control over their personal data, and makes it mandatory for the companies to be reliable to the users for collecting their data.

What Is New About GDPR?

Since newly enforced GDPR is a replacement of the UK’s 1984 Data Protection Act, and also the EU’s Data Protective Directive, it aims at making it user-friendly for the modern, technology-dominated world.

Its main concern is to protect everyday data of the online users all across the EU. It is likely to protect any type of data linked to users. Given personal data, it implies to data such as your name, images, email addresses, bank details, any type of posts on social media sites, health related information and even your computer IP address.

With regard to this, you are liable to know what type of data and details a company is collecting about you.  The new GDPR comprises a new part referred to as ‘right to erasure’. This new policy ensures the deletion of the data about you, if you think your privacy has been breached. Upon making the request to the company about the data breach, the company has to comply with the new privacy policy, no matter if the breach is accidental of part of the cyber attack; the company has to act within 72 hours.

If any company fails to comply with the new policy, they will confront steep penalties.

Well, it is not only businesses running their operations in the EU, are liable to face such rules. Anyone, who has their digital footprints in the EU, is under the new rules of GDPR. Hence, India is not out of the radar too.  

As far as the new policy is concerned, it does not put any restriction to your limitation to internet usage, but it protects your data, which is good news for all internet users like us.