The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the European Union’s landmark data privacy law, designed to protect the personal data and privacy of individuals within the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA). It also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU and EEA. Below is a comprehensive guide and cheat sheet covering the core aspects of GDPR compliance.
GDPR is built on seven core principles that must guide all personal data processing activities:
Lawfulness, Fairness, and Transparency: Data must be processed lawfully, fairly, and in a transparent manner .
Purpose Limitation: Data should be collected for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a way incompatible with those purposes .
Data Minimisation: Only collect data that is adequate, relevant, and necessary for the intended purpose .
Accuracy: Ensure personal data is accurate and kept up to date; rectify or erase inaccurate data promptly .
Storage Limitation: Do not keep data longer than necessary for the purposes for which it was collected .
Integrity and Confidentiality: Process data securely, protecting against unauthorized or unlawful processing, loss, destruction, or damage .
Accountability: Be able to demonstrate compliance with all GDPR principles .
Territorial Scope: Applies to all organizations processing personal data of individuals in the EU, regardless of the organization’s location. Also applies to organizations outside the EU if they offer goods/services to or monitor the behavior of EU residents .
Personal Data: Any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (data subject), e.g., names, emails, IP addresses .
Processing: Any operation performed on personal data (collection, storage, use, erasure, etc.).
Controller: Entity that determines the purposes and means of processing personal data .
Processor: Entity that processes data on behalf of the controller.
Consent: Freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous indication of the data subject’s wishes .
GDPR grants individuals (data subjects) several rights regarding their personal data:
Right to be Informed: About data collection and use .
Right of Access: To their personal data and supplementary information .
Right to Rectification: To correct inaccurate or incomplete data .
Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): To have data deleted under certain circumstances .
Right to Restrict Processing: To limit how data is used .
Right to Data Portability: To receive data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format .
Right to Object: To certain types of processing, such as direct marketing .
Rights Related to Automated Decision Making and Profiling: Not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing .
Right to Withdraw Consent: At any time, as easily as it was given .
Right to Complain: To a supervisory authority if rights are violated .
Must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous .
Must be given by a clear affirmative action (no pre-ticked boxes or silence).
Must be as easy to withdraw as to give .
Organizations must be able to demonstrate that valid consent was obtained .
Data Protection by Design and by Default: Integrate data protection into processing activities and business practices from the outset .
Accountability: Maintain records of processing activities and implement appropriate technical and organizational measures .
Data Breach Notification: Notify the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach, unless unlikely to result in risk to individuals .
Training and Awareness: Regularly train staff on data protection and GDPR compliance .
When Required: Must appoint a DPO if you are a public authority, engage in large-scale systematic monitoring, or process large-scale special categories of data .
Role: Advise on data protection, monitor compliance, serve as contact for data subjects and authorities, and conduct training .
Independence: Must operate independently and report to the highest management level .
Records of Processing Activities: Document purposes, categories of data, data subjects, recipients, and data transfers .
Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs): Required for high-risk processing activities.
Policies and Procedures: Maintain up-to-date data protection policies, breach response plans, and retention schedules .
Technical and Organizational Measures: Implement appropriate security (e.g., encryption, pseudonymization, access controls) .
Regular Testing: Assess and evaluate the effectiveness of security measures regularly.
Data Protection by Design and Default: Integrate security into systems and processes from the start .
Supervisory Authority: Notify within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach .
Data Subjects: Notify affected individuals if the breach is likely to result in a high risk to their rights and freedoms .
Documentation: Record all breaches, including facts, effects, and remedial actions .
Adequacy Decisions: Data can be transferred to countries deemed by the EU to provide adequate protection .
Appropriate Safeguards: Use Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs), or other mechanisms if no adequacy decision exists .
Derogations: In specific cases, such as explicit consent, data can be transferred without adequacy or safeguards .
Transfer Impact Assessments: Assess the legal environment of the recipient country and implement additional safeguards if necessary .
Fines: Up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher, for serious infringements.
Notable Fines:
Meta (Facebook): €1.2 billion for unlawful data transfers .
Amazon: €746 million for consent violations .
TikTok: €345 million for children’s data processing issues .
WhatsApp: €225 million for transparency failures .
Trends: Fines are increasing, especially for repeated or large-scale violations, and focus on international transfers, consent, and transparency .
Awareness & Training
Train staff, raise awareness, appoint DPO if required
Data Inventory & Mapping
Document what data you collect, where it goes, and why
Consent Management
Review and update consent mechanisms, keep records
Data Subject Rights
Set up processes to handle access, rectification, erasure, and other rights
Security Measures
Implement encryption, access controls, regular security reviews
Data Breach Response
Establish breach detection, notification, and documentation procedures
International Transfers
Assess adequacy, use SCCs/BCRs, conduct transfer impact assessments
Documentation
Maintain records of processing, DPIAs, policies, and procedures
Regular Audits
Conduct periodic reviews and audits of data protection practices
GDPR applies globally to any organization processing EU residents’ data.
Data subject rights and consent are central to compliance.
Security, transparency, and accountability are non-negotiable.
Non-compliance can result in severe financial and reputational consequences.
Regular training, documentation, and audits are essential for ongoing compliance.
This guide provides a comprehensive overview and actionable cheat sheet for GDPR compliance. For detailed implementation, always consult the full text of the GDPR and seek legal advice where necessary.