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GDPR - a brief history

On 25 May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) replaced the Data Protection Directive (95/46/EC). Up until then, 28 different national laws – implementing the Data Protection Directive – governed data protection matters in the EU.

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However, since 1995, the internet has grown immensely and the way data is being used, collected and stored has fundamentally changed

Data is everywhere

Therefore, a revision of the Data Protection Directive was long overdue. This time, the EU opted for a regulation instead of a directive. This means that the GDPR – as one unified data protection regulation – directly applies in all EU member states, harmonising national data protection laws across the EU.

Although GDPR-compliance is still widely perceived as an administrative burden by many companies, there is also a reverse side to the coin: it creates new business opportunities and value in the future digital economy.

  • Take back control – as its primary objective, the GDPR strives to give back the control of personal data to all citizens in the EU. Therefore, improving their overall sense of trust and security.

  • GDPR in the Digital Age - by simplifying the monitoring environment for international businesses, through the standardisation of the regulation within the EU, the GDPR facilitates the international data flows.

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A fair competition - by creating the same set of rules between companies established in the EU, and those based outside the EU, the GDPR puts an end to distortion of competition.

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The most important novelties introduced by the GDPR:

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  • Extended territorial scope;

  • New basic principles;

  • New obligations – for processors too;

  • New rights for data subjects;

  • Rules on children’s consent;

  • High fines – up to 20 million or 4% of the total worldwide turnover.

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