What You Should Know About Global Data Security
Rapid technological advancements have brought new challenges to global data security. The rise of smartphones, wearable technology, and artificial intelligence has prompt the amount of personal data generated, collected, and shared to increase on an unprecedented rate.
Now that individuals often make personal information available publicly, building a stronger and more coherent data protection framework is beneficial. Strong enforcement of policies will allow individuals to be in control of their data and ensure legal and practical certainty for economic operators and public authorities.
Having said this, courts and regulatory authorities have started adapting different data protection laws. These aim to keep up with the dangers of the cyber battlefield that has become far more complex.
Is General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) Part Of Global Data Security?
One of the laws that came into force to harness global data security is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This law regulates how organizations handle EU residents’ data to better safeguard the processing and movement of personal information. Companies that fail to comply with GDPR requirements will be subject to stiff penalties and fines.
GDPR requirements apply to each member state of the European Union as well as those organizations located across the world, which target goods or services at, or monitor the behavior of individuals in the EU. Some of the key privacy and data protection requirements of the GDPR are the following:
- Asking consent from the subjects for information handling
- Anonymizing collected data to ensure privacy
- Safeguarding the transfer of data across borders
- Notifying authorities about a data breach
- Requiring large companies to assign a data protection officer to oversee GDPR compliance
What Does The GDPR Mean For The Global Data Security?
General Data Protection Regulation enforces a uniform data security law on all EU members. This way, each member state does not need to draft its data protection law, and rules are consistent across the entire EU. Apart from EU members, it should be noted that any company that sells goods or services to EU residents, regardless of its location, is also expected to comply with the regulation. As a result, GDPR creates a significant impact on data protection requirements not just nationally but globally.
Key Principles of General Data Protection Regulation In Protecting Global Data Security
1. Lawful, fair, and transparent processing
Organizations that handle personal data must do it in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner. This means that all processing should be based on a legitimate purpose. They must also make sure to inform data subjects about the processing activities that will be done on their information.
2. Limitation of purpose, data, and storage
Companies are only allowed to collect the necessary details, and they should dispose of personal data safely once the legitimate purpose for which it is collected is completed.
3. Data subject rights
The data subjects or owners have the right to ask the company what information they have about them, and what the company plans to do with this information. Also, a data subject is allowed to ask for correction, object to processing, file a complaint, or even ask for the deletion or transfer of his or her data.
4. Consent
If the organization intends to use personal data beyond the legitimate purpose for which it was collected, consent should be asked from the data subject. Also, GDPR requires parents or guardians to give consent for the processing of data owned by children who are below 16 years old.
5. Personal data breaches
Organizations must maintain a personal data breach register. Should any data breach happens, companies must be able to inform the regulator and the data subject within 72 hours.
6. Privacy
Companies should deploy organizational and technical frameworks to safeguard personal data. Privacy and protection aspects must be ensured by default at all times.
7. Data Protection Impact Assessment
Data Protection Impact Assessment should be carried out to estimate the impact of changes or new actions, especially when initiating a new project, change, or product.
8. Data transfers
The controller has to protect the privacy of personal data when it is being transferred outside or within the company.
9. Data Protection Officer
When there is a significant amount of personal data in an organization, they should assign a Data Protection Officer. The DPO will be responsible for advising the company regarding EU GDPR requirements. Global Data Security | GDPR Penalties for Non-compliance
Fines will be determined depending on the circumstances of each case and the Supervisory Authority may choose whether to execute their corrective powers with or without fines. Companies that fail to comply with certain GDPR requirements may be charged with penalties up to 2% or 4% of total global annual turnover or €10m or €20m.
Swift Systems
If you are looking for IT solutions that ensure the highest level of global data security, Swift Systems can help. We follow best practices for security policies and regulatory compliance, and we select best-in-class security products to minimize risk. Get in touch with our team today!