Will you be breaking the law?

There is an extremely good chance that before the end of 2017 your business could be breaking the law. This is because most UK businesses are in blissful ignorance of the introduction of a new EU data law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Failure to address this issue could lead to fines of hundreds of millions of Euros, or five per cent of turnover. With the possibility of consumers being able to claim damages for misuse of data, heading your way!

To meet coming compliance standards most of the currently advocated practices for data collection will have to be abandoned or at least seriously changed. These new requirements make no provision for the size of the business collecting the data. They will apply to all businesses irrespective of size. Therefore it is essential for businesses to identify the right sources of advice to ensure their future compliance with these new regulations.

There is a solution.

As these regulations are European only, a good rule of thumb is if the advice is in English ensure that it is of British and not of American origin. If it is priced in dollars avoid it!

While it is inherent on all  EU businesses to seek the proper professional advice, appointing an individual or an agency to be responsible for ensuring the new regulations are compiled with. The new EU data laws will require audits of all current data and how it was collected as well as ensuring that all new data collected is fully compliant. The result will leave your data secure, better organised and ensure that you are marketing to people who want to hear your message and not annoying those who do not, thus ensuring a better chance of a positive result.

These regulations may seem onerous, yet they are not much more than the best practice, that already advocated in UK. They can be used to build a bond trust with prospective clients. Ensured confidentiality, can allow you to generate valuable new data, making direct sales calls easier to target.

Instead of looking at this EU data law as a unwelcome burden on your business, look at it as an opportunity to build your businesses reputation for compliance and professionalism. Simply ensure that you are taking your advice from the right source.

Gavin Bryan-Tansley ~ Owner Vid-FX+ Advertising