GDPR – explanation and what it means for you
Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and Council of the European Union came into force on 25 May 2018. It is better known as GDPR. This regulation will have an effect on banks, e-shop operators, service providers and basically every internet user – including our customers. Therefore, we will give you a short explanation what the GDPR is and we will briefly outline what it means for you.
What is GDPR?
GDPR is an abbreviation of General Data Protection Regulation. It is legally binding regulation of the European Parliament and Council of the European Union, which introduces completely new rules regarding personal data protection. The regulation was passed in 2016, whereas in May 2018 it only came into force.
The primary objective of this regulation is to enhance personal data protection concerning people in the European Union. It is basically a useful tool, which enables you to find out as much as possible about the processing of your personal data.
However, it is natural that another objective of this regulation is companies’ more serious concentration on the issue of personal data protection. Companies that will fail to comply with this rule can be fined up to 4% of their total turnover or €20 million, depending on the severity of the violation. The decision is based on which sum of money is higher.
How does GDPR affects you?
It is important to understand that your personal data are processed on daily in all sorts of situations, such as booking sports ground or sending informational newsletter. Very big amount of your data is also stored by your mobile phone operator or bank. The new legislation applies to all entities that process your data.
The basic definition of GDPR that you should know
You have following rights as a customer who attends SPEAK regularly or will come here just once:
- The right to refuse personal data processing.
- The right to correct your personal data.
- The right to access your personal data.
- The right to restrict the processing of your personal data.
- The right to delete your personal data together with information when and how it will happen; you are also entitled to the proof that the deletion was successful.
To sum it up, GDPR means less worries on your part. Your data that are on the internet (but not only there) will simply be dealt with more caution and an absolute seriousness. In short, the way we in SPEAK have been processing your data since 2000. We have created our own directive for the processing and protection of your personal data.
Would you like to know even more? You can find detailed information about GDPR on the web page of the Office for Personal Data Protection of the Slovak Republic.