We are living in an era where Data protection and privacy concerns rank among the most pressing issues. News of data theft, frauds etc. has become so common that the public has become conscious of the need for a robust legislation and its’ strict enforcement. So, if you are a business holding EU Citizen data, you are subject to the new GDPR Regulation, the scope of which isn’t just limited to companies based out in Europe but to European citizens based globally. In fact, the introduction of this Data privacy law, emanating from EU will have a large impact on how businesses will manage their user’s personal data.
This massive data protection or privacy law that was passed in January has gone into effect from 25th May 2018 and applies to most organizations, irrespective of where they are located. While the objective (provide individuals with the control of their personal data) of the law might appear to be simple on the outset, it’s indeed very complex and dense, as a large part of it requires businesses to document and provide compliance evidence. This obligation for accountability is the basic premise of the law.
What Does GDPR Require?
The GDPR data privacy law necessitates companies to have a detailed understanding of all the data collected by them and how they use it. Precisely, companies must undergo a privacy impact assessment to find out whether the individual (customer or employee) is facing a privacy risk. Companies must also ensure whether they have a legal base to collect and use that data. Failure to compliance would otherwise attract stiff penalties including €20 million or four per cent of an organization’s annual revenue.
While the GDPR doesn’t clearly indicate prescription for technology requirement, it does emphasize the need to have secure IT network and systems in place so that organizations could deal with unlawful and malicious activities that pose a risk to the authenticity, availability, integrity and confidentiality of the personal data collected by them.
GDPR Compliance for Web Applications
Given the fact that organizations use hundreds of custom and commercial web apps, risks pertaining to data privacy and integrity also increases. This happens because these apps are often not securely developed or tested and might contain certain misconfigurations and vulnerabilities. Since, these apps are connected to the back-end systems, breached web applications provide hackers with easy access to corporate data and other confidential data of customers. To comply with GDPR, organizations must ensure the proper security of their web applications.
To achieve full accordance with GDPR in detail, web app developers should implement features that can provide brands with a clear roadmap to achieving compliance.
Create Consent Forms: Any web resource that operates in the European territory requires mandatory consent of the users to store and process their data, which they share in the registration form. This would require developers to compose detailed text regarding data protection basis GDPR guidelines. Apart from this, creating checkboxes would help users to confirm all the information shared and agree to it. Furthermore, a script that would reflect user disconfirmation should be developed when a checkbox remains unfulfilled.
Conduct Profiling Analysis of Complete Site: It’s important to analyze various visitor profiling activities that are being conducted on your site. This includes all the data collected by you, your vendors along with their partners. This should be followed by evaluation of the various levels of data sensitivity involved in each of these collection activities along with the risks associated.
Set up a Privacy Rights Infrastructure: Under the GDPR, customers enjoy several new privacy rights concerning their personal data. Consequently, companies are under the compulsion to establish internal processes to accommodate these rights. Companies should thus create a channel for customers to submit rights, requests, and a process for satisfying them.
Right to Access: Every user has the right to turn to the developers of web apps and obtain any data or information they have shared about themselves in the app without any hassles. However, such GDPR requirements concerns projects that are both currently active, as well as closed.
Right to Modification: Every user of your web-application must have the right to modify their personal details at any point of time. Apart from the access to change the standard ‘login & password’ combination, they should be able to correct any data that requires turning to a dispatcher.
Right to Transfer: This implies that every user of a web app holds the right to transfer all their information from one source to the other.
Right to Erasure: The GDPR requires developers of an app to fulfill the request of a user, to partially or completely delete their personal data from the app. Moreover, when a user deletes his/her account, their data should get erased automatically without the need to make special requests. Ignoring such requests would lead to strict penalization.
Design sites around “GDPR consent”: The GDPR specifies that a web app developer should honor “data integrity through proper design and by default.” To ensure you are meeting all the criterions for a valid consent, a users’ on-site experience should permit them to show their concurrence through an action or a statement.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that managing compliance that too with the consent requirement of the GDPR can be intimidating. Yet, companies are left with no choice but to become compliant, and that too quickly. However, to improve digital governance, data processes, and customer experiences, businesses require having in place a robust technology that can play a critical role in protecting information from breaches and threats.
Blockchain comprises of ledgers that store data in an encrypted manner. Data stored on blockchain ledgers can neither be deleted nor be edited. But to support companies in attaining GDPR compliance, the conception of permissioned blockchain networks can prove helpful. With this, a customer can show the sharing of information to a retailer with their digital identity. This allows users to edit and delete data as per their convenience. Such empowerment will go a long way in ensuring data integrity, as well as compliance.
Prolitus Technologies – One of the reputed companies in the IT space offers Cryptocyrrency Exchange and ICO Token Sales Platform products that are GDPR compliant. To Know more about Prolitus, get in touch with us at success@prolitus.com.
