Time running out before new data protection legislation comes into force
Businesses and public sector organisations have been warned that they will have under a year to ensure they are compliant with new Europe-wide data protection laws.
As part of the European Commission’s attempts to make the continent fit for the digital age, data protection law is undergoing significant reform and on 25th May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation will become effective in the UK.
Leading Scottish law firm Thorntons joined forces with world class security experts Net Defence to offer advice and guidance from specialist experts at a recent seminar in Dundee. More than 90 businesses attended the two day event which aimed to ensure organisations don’t face heavy penalties for failing to comply with the legislation.
The recent event found that although 70% of attendees knew about GDPR, they have not yet started preparations in their business ahead of the new regulation.
Liam McMonagle, partner at Thorntons, chaired the event and associate Loretta Maxfield led the sessions.
Liam said: “From next May, GDPR will apply to all organisations that deal with personal data so it is essential that their processes are up to date.
“For organisations there is a level of security risk with information, but we aim to advise how these risks can be mitigated and provide a practical holistic view of what needs to be done to get GDPR ready.”
Organisations currently need to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, but failure to comply with the new regulations will see penalties to the greater of 4% of turnover or €20M levied.
David Horn, Net-Defence Director, said: “We are all ‘data subjects’ and we live in a world where key aspects of our lives will be ever more determined by the data held about us.
“We also live in a world where that same data is more at risk and open to compromise than ever. With exactly one year to go until GPDR, it is vital that you understand the data risks within your organisation.”
Pictured (L-R): David Horn – Net Defence, with Loretta Maxfield, Liam McMonagle and Gregor MacQuarrie from Thorntons
