GDPR Compliance Checklist

The most stringent cybersecurity law in the world is the GDPR. It obliges all companies providing services or selling goods in Europe to adhere to standard data privacy practices.

Despite the fact that not all enterprises adhere to the law, this does not protect them from possible sanctions. It only seems to many that it is very difficult to comply with each item, and it takes a lot of resources and a large budget, but this is not entirely true.

Use our GDPR Compliance List to protect yourself and your B2B partners from penalties for non-compliance.

What Is GDPR?

GDPR is an adapted version of the European Convention for the new realities of digital technologies.  It defines new privacy standards that help protect users from having their data leaked.  For non-compliance with the standards of the regulation, companies that collect customer data face a multi-million dollar fine.

Ensuring compliance with all regulations lies entirely on the shoulders of enterprises. Regulations are constantly changing and being modified, which requires some effort to keep track of them and make adjustments to the business.

What Does “a company is GDPR compliant” Mean?

The company must comply with all regulations at all times. It is important to periodically check for changes. If necessary, update the system. 

Who Is Covered By The GDPR?

All companies offering goods and services in the European Union must comply with the compliance rules, even if they are registered and operate outside of it.  It can be one private entrepreneur, representatives of a small, medium, or large businesses, state-owned enterprises, authorities, etc.

Unfortunately, not all companies can be sure that people from the EU do not buy their products. Therefore, if you work for the international market, and there is even a small possibility of selling goods and services in the European Union, it is worth working on full compliance with the regulations in order to exclude the possibility of earning a fine.

The GDPR divides companies into 2 groups – controllers, those who collect data only for personal purposes, and processors, those who store and process information received on behalf of another company.  There are also companies that perform the functions of both groups.  But the main responsibility to the supervisory authority lies with the controllers.  And if there is a cyber attack, they will justify what happened.  

GDPR Compliance List

To comply with GDPR and maintain it, follow 10 steps.

No. 1 Check all data and data flow

Analyze all the data that your company receives through all channels of communication with users. All collected information must be structured and compiled into a report so that it can be presented to the relevant authorities for verification.

The report must:

• add information about the source of information and whether there is permission to collect it;
• specify the type and reason for data collection;
• describe how the information received is processed and when it is deleted. 

It is important to categorize each entry so that the reviewer cannot find fault with anything. A GDPR-compliant tool such as ComplyDog can handle all data requests and manage in the dashboard at one click.

No. 2 Hire a DPO

Hire a DPO employee who will be responsible for compliance with all the rules of the regulation and will deal with every point of the data security strategy. This will help you avoid problems that may arise from non-compliance with the GDPR. But for some enterprises, according to the regulations, this is a mandatory item. For example, in cases where:

• data collection is carried out by state-owned enterprises;
• collected data is constantly reviewed;
• processing a large amount of data.

It is necessary to hire an employee in the state and provide him with conditions for working in the office if your company is located in the EU. It is enough for enterprises from other countries to hire a freelancer.

No. 3 Plan your GDPR campaign

Plan the entire journey for a GDPR compliance campaign. To do this, ask your DPO or another professional to review all of the new regulations and come up with a clear campaign plan. If necessary, consult with a lawyer.

No. 4 Organize your GDPR diary

A diary is a record containing the entire journey through GDPR compliance. The more information it contains, the better. In the event of a leak, it will protect you from fines, as You will be able to prove the fact of full compliance with the regulations.

No. 5 Analyze your data flow requirements

According to the law, it is impossible to require any unnecessary data from users.  Double-check whether all the information that you request from customers is necessary for you. To make sure your actions are correct, study IPIA and DPIA.

No. 6 Report every data breach

If a cyberattack has occurred and some of the data has fallen into the hands of fraudsters, immediately inform the supervisory authority. Only 72 hours were allotted for this. If you are a handler, your task is to convey information to the controller. It is on his shoulders that the connection with the organization lies.

No. 7 Tell the truth about the purposes of data collection

Never hide your data collection goals from your customers. Be sure to include them in each form. You should also write why you are collecting cookies.

No. 8 Determine the age of persons who give consent

According to the rules of the European Convention, data can only be collected from users who have reached the age of sixteen.  If it is necessary to collect data from children, the permission of their parents or persons responsible for them should be sought.

To be on the safe side, be sure to implement a user age verification process before completing any type of information collection form.

No.9. Integrate dual subscription

Integrate a dual subscription to prove the voluntary intentions of your users to subscribe to the newsletter and email notifications. That is, when a client agrees to a subscription, he will not receive it until he clicks on the link confirming his desire. It must be mailed to him.

No.10. Analyze and update

Remember to constantly re-evaluate the compliance of your user data security campaign. Also, update the policy based on the ever-changing GDPR rules.

Conclusion

As you can see, setting up the company’s processes in accordance with the regulations is not such a difficult task. Go through all the steps in order to comply with the GDPR and avoid possible fines.