Council’s data deadline fears
THE deadline for new data protection rules was compared to ‘falling off a cliff’ at a council finance meeting.
The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in the UK last Friday, with all data holders now having to prove they are legally compliant.
A meeting of Tameside’s audit panel heard that the deadline for the new rules felt like heading towards ‘a cliff edge’, but that the world had managed to carry on.
The new rules are designed to better protect consumers’ data and prevent people from being bombarded with unwanted marketing material from businesses.
Companies that break the rules can now be fined up to four per cent of their turnover by privacy watchdogs, or 20 million euros.
Wendy Poole, head of risk management and audit services, said: “The GDPR came into being on 25 May, and the world has continued on after that date. It was a big build-up to the 25th of May but everything is still functioning.
“It felt a bit like the Millennium and we were all going to fall off a cliff edge. The Information Commissioner has actually said the 25th of May is actually the beginning of a journey not the end.
“So we know that we need to get compliant and I don’t think many organisations will have been totally compliant on Friday.”
A report to the audit panels states: “It is important to note that GDPR is an evolution in data protection and not a revolution.
“It demands more on organisations in terms of accountability for their use of personal data and enhances the existing rights of individuals. It builds on the foundations already in place for the last 20 years.”
It was agreed that training sessions to bone up on GDPR would be beneficial to both officers and elected members of the audit panel.