Personal Data and How it is Protected by Privacy Laws

All businesses collect information about staff and customers however, certain information is considered to be personal and can be regulated by privacy laws. In 2014, a disgruntled Morrisons employee leaked contact details for staff and customers. The company was fined as it had violated privacy laws. Many privacy laws around the world which include the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) utilize this definition of personal data.

This includes information about an individual’s behavior, habits and other associations that could be used to identify them. For example, a person’s name address, address, email address or telephone number can all be used to identify people and also images, videos and voice recordings of conversations with your employees and customers. The GDPR also demands that you protect personal data that is sensitive and makes disclosure and consent mandatory.

Sensitive information is deemed to be more prone to misuse, and therefore is given greater protection under various global privacy laws. This can include biometric, health or political associations information. You generally need explicit unambiguous, unambiguous permission to process sensitive information and the degree of security you have to provide will differ depending on the laws of the jurisdiction you reside in.

It is possible that you will need to take inventory of all laptops, computers digital copiers, and other equipment used in your business to determine where you store personal data. You should examine file cabinets and computer systems as Business Technologies well as home computers flash drives, mobile devices and other equipment that your employees use. You should also consider the personal information your company receives from third parties and suppliers.