A rewrite of the privacy rules took place under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which forced companies to update their operations and even redesign their products, services, and branding in order to be compliant with the regulations.
The core tenets of the GDPR, despite their passage in 2016, are as relevant today as they were in 2016. All steps in a modern privacy management program should be guided by the key principles at the heart of the law.
Review the 7 key principles of GDPR below to refamiliarize yourself with their intentions and ensure your personal data processing practices support them:
- Integrity, lawfulness, and fairness
- Limitation of purpose
- Minimizing data
- Precision
- The storage capacity is limited
- Confidentiality and integrity (security)
- Being accountable
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Integrity, fairness, and lawfulness
Any time you process personal data, you should be able to understand why you are doing it. As one of the GDPR’s principles, lawfulness is important. The following reasons can also be used to process data, in addition to the ones listed above:
- It is permissible to do this based on the user’s consent.
- If you want to fulfill your contract, then you have to do it.
- Fulfilling legal obligations is necessary.
- The purpose is to protect natural persons’ vital interests.
- Performing this task in the public interest is a public task.
- If your legitimate interest doesn’t override the rights and interests of the data subject, you can prove you have a legitimate interest.
Fairness is a central concept in the GDPR, and lawfulness is a crucial part of it. In other words, you should not intentionally hide why you are collecting data or what you are collecting it for. Users would not be surprised if they knew how their data was being used. Data integrity means that you will never misuse or mishandle your collected information.
Fairness and transparency are closely linked: Transparency is being open, honest, and transparent with data subjects about who you are, why you are processing their personal data, and how it will be used. Your data subjects will be treated fairly when you follow it.
2. Limitation of purpose
The GDPR’s second principle prohibits using data for any purpose other than the purpose for which it was collected. As declared in the GDPR, data must only be collected for specific, explicit, and legitimate purposes.
There must be a clear understanding of why you are processing data. Individuals must also receive a privacy notice that clearly explains their rights. In addition, you should strictly adhere to the data protection laws, limiting data processing to only the purposes for which they are intended.
Unless you are legally obligated or have a clear obligation to do so, you must ask for specific consent again if you wish to use the data for a new purpose that’s incompatible with your original purpose.
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Minimization of data
The amount of data you collect should correspond to the purpose for which it is necessary. In accordance with GDPR, data minimization is required. You should, for example, ask only for information necessary to send out your newsletters if you want to gather subscribers for it. Don’t collect personal data that isn’t related to your purpose, such as phone numbers or addresses.
4. Precision
Collecting and storing accurate data is your responsibility. Make sure that incorrect or incomplete data is corrected, updated, or erased as soon as possible. Ensure that data files are kept clean by having regular audits scheduled.
5. The storage capacity is limited
In order to comply with GDPR, each piece of data you store must have a legitimate reason for being kept for the length of time you store it. A good idea is to set up data retention periods in order to enforce this storage limitation policy. A certain period of time should pass before any data is anonymized if it is not being actively used.
6. Confidentiality and integrity (security)
As a result of GDPR, your data must be kept secure from internal or external threats by maintaining its integrity and confidentiality. Taking proactive measures is necessary to achieve this. A data owner must keep their data secure and prevent it from being inappropriately or unlawfully processed.
7. Being accountable
Regulatory agencies know organisations can say they follow all GDPR rules without actually following them. That’s why the data processing principles require you to be accountable: You must maintain appropriate records and measures to prove compliance. This evidence can be requested by supervisory authorities at any time. There is a crucial need for documentation in this case. Using it will also allow you – and authorities – to track your responsibility in case of an audit.
An integrated approach to GDPR: the 7 Principles
In the 7 principles outlined in the GDPR, best practices for data processing are communicated in spirit and thought process. Each of the principles is further supported by the defined responsibilities of the data controller and processor under the GDPR.
From the design stage through the entire data processing lifecycle, these seven principles provide guidance for all processing activity and business practices. Implementing privacy by default and design can assist in achieving this goal.
Visit our ultimate guide for GDPR Compliance to learn how this works and gain a deeper understanding of the GDPR’s principles. This document provides you with an overview of the GDPR principles and provides a roadmap for integrating them into your privacy program.
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