What to know about personal data

Everyone has heard the term GDPR, but do they really know what this means?

What does GDPR stand for?

GDPR is an acronym for General Data Protection Regulation.

What does the UK GDPR state?

While the GDPR legislation came about in the EU, it applies to countries across the globe in order to protect the public in this modern world.

Personal data is defined as any information relating to an identifiable person, such as name, race, health, address, membership numbers, sexual orientation, criminal convictions, and much, much more. This information can either directly or indirectly identify the individual, but regardless, is a breach of their personal data if collected unethically or illegally.

Furthermore, personal data can either be collected automatically in digital form or in a non-automated manner, such as with forms. Even if a person offers personal information by using the latter method, the individual should be made aware of how this data will be used and be given the chance to consent to this. Automatic collection can be problematic because individuals often leave traces of their personal data without knowingly consenting to it. This might be their IP address, for instance, when visiting a website.

If you use a data collection company to amass information about customers and prospective customers, the data collection company should be compliant with the law in the way they collect, process, and subsequently use the data.

Is some data more sensitive than others?

Of course, some personal data is more sensitive in nature and should be protected to a higher degree.