Demystifying the common GDPR Myths

Published on: 23 October 2018 Last Updated on: 15 November 2021

As one of the most common discussions around the internet today, data protection has seen huge changes in 2018. Indeed, the introduction of the European Union’ General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) program is making companies finally face up to their corporate responsibilities. While this has been more than a long time coming, it has not been dealt with well for the most part in the recent decades.

This step from the EU is a merciful way to help make the regulation change as soon as possible. However, like all major regulatory changes, some half-truths and full-blown myths have emerged. What are some of the common tall tales told about GDPR that you need to look out for?

1. GDPR is just a mechanism to fine companies!

Absolute hogwash, to put it bluntly. GDPR is a mechanism to send data protection back to the people who the data actually is about, not the company. A company can be fined as much as £17m, or 4% of their annual turnover, by the GDPR. However, this isn’t some committee looking to pay for their holidays and Christmas party: this is here to stop citizens being ripped off any longer by companies.

2. GDPR fines are handed out without warning

We don’t know where these kinds of ideas come from, but it’s just not true in any capacity at all. fines in GDPR will be proportionate to the issue at hand: a small company with a GDPR breach will be fined a reasonable amount. Also, you are given two – almost three – warnings about GDPR compliance failure.

You won’t just find a team of armed guards in EU flags turning up, don’t worry!

3.GDPR came from nowhere

For years, GDPR was reported on and discussed at length. It was not a surprise. Companies were given the best part of a full calendar year to get their systems into spec before the May 2018 roll-out.

Companies that missed the GDPR call-out would simply have not been paying attention to data protection policy changes. This was not a surprise for anyone who followed the industry. If you were a business that did not see GDPR coming, then we recommend that you spend some more time looking at European law changes: this was not a surprise!

4. GDPR is constraining businesses

Again, not true – GDPR merely makes businesses take responsibility for the data that they have. GDPR is making it harder for consent to be presumed, and instead, it has to be clearly provided. The days of pre-ticked boxes for consent are gone. It’s also going to be much easier for people to withdraw their consent if they so choose.

This is not constraining businesses, it’s merely making a part of the web that was thoroughly amateur in its people protection a bit more stringent in the way that you think and acts like a business.

5. GDPR was not necessary

This is also quite untrue: GDPR was absolutely necessary. It’s simply putting in place a foundational program that reinforces key terms such as the Data Protection Act, and also makes companies more likely to care for the data they hold instead of using it recklessly.

This myth, that GDPR is not necessary and was just added in to add more ‘red tape’ is not the case at all. All of the data breach stories of the recent years would have been almost impossible under GDPR: in a bid to give people back power over their own data, GDPR was essential.

GDPR compliance is a fixed process

This has been around for some time and is not the case at all. While it may have rolled out in 2018, the EU is fully aware that getting ready for it will take some time and effort. While the two years to get ready was more than enough, with ICO regulation kicking in as of May ’18, there is going to be change to it as time goes on.

This is not like the Y2K bug; out of all the painful misconceptions about GDPR, this may be among the worst. You might not like the need to be more specific with data regulation, but GDPR is a good thing – the myths make it sound like the end of the world. All it is, in reality, is an end to lawlessness in data protection and regulation.

Final Take Away

Hence, these are some of the crucial facts that you have to take care of while you want to improve your business in the correct order at the correct point in time. Do not make your choices in grey while you want to develop your current business in the right direction.

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Maintaining Productivity: The Basics of Industrial Safety

Health and safety in the workplace should always be a topic that is high on your agenda if you are working in any sort of industrial environment, and if you can achieve a good safety record it should also contribute to greater productivity too. Here is an overview of what sort of typical safety hazards you need to guard against and what steps to take to avoid an accident, plus a look at some of the main basic safety measures you should adopt in order to keep the production line rolling and workers as safe as possible. Understanding the hazards: A good starting point would be to make a checklist of the main hazards you are likely to have to deal with in your workplace, as a working knowledge of these dangers will help you to take counteractive measures. You can categorize industrial hazards under a number of broad headings. Physical threats to the safety of workers are a key issue and there are numerous challenges to account for in your safety procedures, such as slip and trip hazards, inadequate lighting, the risk of exposure to noise and poor air quality, plus the danger of fire, amongst others. You can take steps to manage these specific threats, such as maintaining good air quality throughout the building, for example, which you can read about on this page. Other key hazard categories include biological and chemical threats, injuries sustained through poor ergonomics and building design, and even the mental health aspect of working in a challenging or hazardous situation on a regular basis. A good suggestion would be to conduct a thorough health and safety review where you take a detailed look at the layout of your building and what specific dangers workers face every time they clock on. Make a comprehensive checklist of all the potential hazards that are relevant to your particular industry and then look to create a health and safety plan that deals with those issues in the best way possible. Dealing with fire risk: The risk of fire is a constant potential threat to every building and that risk is enhanced when you have machinery, chemicals, and other potentially hazardous sources all under the one roof. There are many different ways for a fire to start and electrical faults, chemical spillages, and a lack of safety awareness amongst workers, can all create a fire risk in an instant. You can’t always avoid a fire starting when an accident occurs through an unforeseen set of circumstances, but you can at least have a robust set of fire safety procedures in place to help deal with the situation and limit the potential damage. A good quality fire alarm warning system needs to be installed and regularly tested and maintained, and a sprinkler system might also be necessary, once you have carried out a fire risk assessment. Fire extinguishers installed at regular intervals around the building will allow immediate action to be taken to try and reduce the spread of fire and hi-spec smoke detectors provide a decent early warning of a fire or smoke hazard. Emergency lighting: All workers need to be fully briefed on what to do in the event of an emergency and how to evacuate the building in the quickest and safest way possible. One of the threats to a successful and safe evacuation of the building is when power in the building is lost and it becomes dangerous to walk around in the dark. Power cuts are always a possibility in an industrial setting for a number of plausible reasons and a lack of adequate lighting greatly heightens the prospect of an accident happening. The way to counteract this threat is to install emergency lighting that lights up the building to make it safer to see where you are going and minimize the risk of an accident. Falls are a leading cause of accidents and deaths: One of the main causes of death and injury in the workplace falls, and it should be noted that a worker doesn’t have to fall from a great height to suffer a bad or fatal injury. Nearly half of all fatal falls in an industrial setting occurred when the person fell from a height of fewer than 20 feet. More than 10% of recorded fatal falls were from a height below six feet. Some industries have a higher incidence of falls than others, and it should not be a surprise to learn that the construction sector is considered one of the most hazardous workplace environments for falls. It is reasonable to surmise that a very high percentage of these recorded fatalities and injuries could have been prevented with adequate risk assessment procedures in place and with the right use of safety equipment and adequate training. Large numbers of workers are treated for fall-related injuries each year but with the right precautionary measures and by raising awareness of the potential dangers, many of these accidents could have been avoided. Know your limits: Pushing your body to its limit and beyond is another leading cause of accidents in the workplace and overexertion is cited as the cause of about a third of all work-related accidents according to the National Safety Council. Every worker should be encouraged to assess and know their limitations before undertaking a task that might lead to an injury through overexertion. Ergonomic injuries are when you do something like tear a tendon, damage your spine, or overreach when attempting to lift an object that is too heavy, or is not being lifted and handled correctly. Every worker needs to have health and safety training that highlights and talks about the dangers of ergonomic injuries and provides guidance on how to work safely and know your physical limitations. It is not just physical jobs that create injuries and office workers can also suffer injuries if they don’t set up their work environment in an ergonomically efficient way and don’t take regular breaks away from their desk. These are some of the main causes of accidents but with some basic safety training and an ongoing risk assessment program, it is possible to significantly reduce the prospect of an accident happening in your workplace. Read Also: How To Improve Workplace Security

4 Ways To Address Privacy Concerns Around Customer Data

A single data breach can expose tens of millions of customers to spam, scams, identity theft, fraud, and more. It’s also a quick, easy way to destroy your brand reputation and lose a massive chunk of your customer base. In the worst-case scenario, you could end up paying millions of dollars in fines. If serious enough, your team members or executives could even face some jail time. But customer data still needs to be kept safe and private, even when the risks are far less grand in scale. Simply leaking your customers’ email addresses and exposing them to junk mail can erode their trust in you. To protect your customers and assuage any customer concerns, always handle their data with care. Here are a few important ways to protect data, limit the risks, and put your customers at ease. 1. Use Zero Party Data Perhaps the best way to put customers at ease about their data is to give them more control over what you know. Letting them decide what they share with you — and don’t — can protect their privacy and boost your brand reputation. Giving customers a chance to consent or opt out of sharing first-party data when they visit your site or app is a nice touch. But if you really want to put your customers in the data driver's seat, zero party data is the way to go. With zero-party data, your customers and prospects respond to surveys, polls, questionnaires, and more. These inputs can be used to personalize their experience, or anonymized and aggregated to help your brand make data-driven decisions. Either way, when customers provide this data, they usually expect some kind of user benefit. A personalized product recommendation, useful content, or a customized landing page are all ways to deliver that small reward. 2. Be Transparent Ideally, you should tell all of your customers exactly what you collect, what you use it for, and why. As long as you’re not up to anything nefarious (you aren’t, right?) transparency should be as simple as a brief pop-up disclaimer. In fact, transparency could help improve your credibility and customer trust in your brand. And that trust can in turn have a direct impact on your business growth and performance. It’s particularly important not to collect any extra bits of customer data you don’t need and they haven’t agreed to share. Gathering and storing extraneous data heightens the risk to your customers if there’s a breach. In some countries, regions, or industries, it could even be illegal. Besides all this, it can take up unnecessary room on servers, cloud storage, etc. To be on the safe side, always get permission from customers before collecting any kind of data. 3. Anonymize and Encrypt Some of the worst data breaches on record have also turned out to be some of the most ridiculous. Companies have accidentally leaked massive spreadsheets with customer names, addresses, passwords, and credit card data all linked together. But even anonymizing data doesn’t necessarily give customers any real protection or privacy. It’s all too easy to put two-and-two together and figure out someone’s identity. To ensure that data is truly safe, your company should always use the latest encryption methods and data protection protocols. Consult with experts about the best practices, software programs, and other tools to suit your company’s needs. Data security is not the place to cut corners, so be willing to dedicate a significant portion of your budget to protecting customers. Otherwise, you risk putting them in danger of identity theft, financial loss, reputational damage, and more. 4. Train Employees and Vet Vendors Customer data should be kept strictly confidential and only shared with employees and vendors on a need-to-know basis. Your employees need to understand how crucial it is to protect sensitive data and how exactly they need to do it. Before handling potentially sensitive data, employees should undergo appropriate screenings and training. Train them not to share details like passwords or door codes, and limit access to sensitive cabinets, rooms, or computers. Third-party vendors and contractors can be a potential cause of concern for data privacy. That’s why it’s important to carefully vet them, just as you would employees. The more you share data, the higher the risk of a breach or exposure along the way. If a vendor has access to your data, and its systems are compromised, your data could be leaked. Or, bad actors at the company you shared with could use the data in unsafe or inappropriate ways. Worst-Case Scenarios In the event that a data leak or cybersecurity event does occur, your company should have an emergency plan in place. Know what you’ll do in the event of a breach — how you’ll stop it from progressing and contain the damage. The plan should clearly indicate roles and responsibilities and include considerations for various scenarios. Many companies, universities, and government agencies have their plans publicly available online, as a resource. Whatever you do, never attempt to conceal a data breach from the media, your customers, or the public. You could end up facing fines, lawsuits, sanctions, jail time, and irrevocably brand-damaging press. Instead, own up to the breach immediately and let your customers know how you plan to handle it. In order to earn back their trust, you’ll have to prove you know how to do the right thing. Read Also: Data Security In The Cloud: Strategies For A Safe Migration Process Mining and Data Privacy – Key Points to Remember 5 Ways To Prevent Cyber Attacks

The Best Personal Protection Devices to Keep You Safe

Ever feel nervous about walking in your neighborhood late at night? Have you ever wished you could bring something to keep you safe but not something as hazardous as a gun? The total violent crime reported in the United States is 1.2 million. While the crime rate in the country is on a decline, you can never be too careful when it comes to your safety. Whether you're a man or a woman, you need to have the best personal protection devices around. In recent years, there has been a growing awareness around personal alarm for seniors. With a lot of senior citizens staying alone and away from their children, their safety should be a top priority. They might not be physically strong enough to combat criminals with self-defence strategies. Using a personal alarm that is GPS-based can help them alert the police authorities and ensure that help arrives. No one wants to become an attack victim no matter what location. Depending on your area, crime might not be that common and you can walk without having to worry about getting mugged. With this, you have a lot of options when it comes to getting the best self-defense weapons. These are non-lethal and allow you to at least escape from your assailant, such as: The Stun Gun : One of the most standard means of defending yourself, stun guns charge attackers with electrical shocks. Its primary function is to weaken the attacker, which gives you a lot of time to escape them while they lie incapacitated. After all, after pulling the trigger, these self-defense weapons can pump around 700,000 volts into your assailant's body. Some of the stun gun models are minuscule enough that you can hide it in a cigarette pack. Their power source is lithium batteries that you can carry in handbags or waist straps. They're faster and can stop a person more efficiently than an airsoft gun. The Stun Baton : This device's primary use is to disrupt the attacker's brain and muscle communication capabilities. What this means is that they become paralyzed and lose balance as well as muscle control. It disorients them in a way that makes them incapacitated within 5-10 minutes due to the 800,000-volt discharge. This baton can run using rechargeable batteries. It comes with a belt loop to make it easier to carry around and reach if things become dangerous. The Pepper Spray : One of the most preferred self-defense weapons for women, the pepper spray looks like a lipstick. The container is available on a variety of colors females like. However, it packs a punch due to the fact that it contains oleoresin capsicum, an oily liquid that comes from the Cayenne pepper, which is 4 to 20 times hotter than the Jalapeno pepper. It's small and easy-to-access since you can fit it into your pocket or purse. It's simple to use, and you can pretend like you're applying lipstick before you spray it on your attacker. It gives them short-term blindness as well as unbearable pain, sneezing, coughing, and streams of tears, allowing you to flee. Not sure where to get the best sprays? You can find some of the better options in the market at this website. The Stun Ring : This legal weapon to carry can pass for a common fashion ring with its elegant design. What's more important is that it gives you safety since it contains pepper spray within. This allows you to strike at your attacker when they least expect it. The Personal Alarm : It's a really small device but it can emit a loud scream when you push a button. That means you can attract people's attention when you're attacked. Sometimes, it's enough deterrent to attackers since it continues emitting the screams until you stop it. Some of the models come with a built-in light. This allows you to use it outside of emergency situations. For example, you can use it to find your way when it's too dark for you to see. The Lightning Strike : Police officers used to have exclusive use for this product. However, most civilians use it in recent times as well. It works by producing several lumens of strong white light that blinds and disorients attackers for short periods of time. This device with its LED light is small and portable enough. You can carry it anywhere, even when you're jogging early in the morning. The Mace Spray : Much like the pepper spray, this tube-like device causes temporary eye impairments by causing capillary inflammation. Aside from this, it causes the following effects to your attacker: Choking Sneezing Burning Sensation (eyes, nose, throat) The effects are temporary. But it gives you enough time to ensure your escape. It's a great way to break free from someone grabbing you. The TASER Device : This device has the capability to make an attacker stunned from within 15 feet away. However, if you're stuck within melee range, this device can also deliver powerful stunning capabilities. It's easy to use and effective due to the fact that it can incapacitate the attacker no matter what part you hit. The TASER device is a lot more effective compared to pepper sprays and other self-defense weapons. After all, you don't need to target your attacker's face to get the most out of its effects. The Tear Gas Spray : The device utilizes tear gas, which could cause irritation of the nose, throat, and eyes. However, it's not as widely used as pepper spray due to its less effectiveness. Its main redeeming feature is that it's much cheaper than most of the other devices around. The Ultrasonic Dog Repellant : If you're in a situation where your attacker isn't a human, this is one of the most effective ways for determent. After all, it emits sonic waves with high frequencies, ranging from 20,000Hz-25,000Hz. This type of sound is so high that humans can't hear it--but dogs and cats can. What this means is that, with a press of a button, you can point it on an aggressive canine to irritate it and chase it away. The ultrasonic sound emitted by the device doesn't affect human attackers. However, it helps give you a safe distance away from wild, hostile dogs that would otherwise assail you. Are You Prepared to Counter an Attack? When it comes to attackers, it isn't always a weird, creepy guy hanging out in dark alleyways waiting to pounce. After all, more than 66% of all rape victims are at least acquaintances with the people who assaulted them. As such, it's safe to assume that the majority of the attacks happen when least expected. A good self-defense weapon only plays a part in defending yourself from an assailant. After all, your weapon won't have any use if you aren't prepared. It's especially important when you need to use it on someone you didn't expect. If you make a proper self-defense plan, you can avoid becoming victimized. Here are some things you need to prepare for a counterattack: Knowing Your Weapon : You need to familiarize yourself in such a way that you can use it as an extension of yourself. There are some safety mechanisms that can slow you down if you aren't trained in their tricky operation. Actions, like pressing the right button or uncapping your pepper spray, will make a crucial difference on whether you can fend your attacker of in time or become a victim. Have a Quick Access : Always keep your weapon reachable whenever it's necessary. If you need to fumble through your pockets or purse during an attack, you might not have the time to defend yourself. That will only help your attacker catch you better. If you keep your weapon on a purse, make sure it's in a place where it won't get buried by your other essentials. Better yet, if you're walking to your car or some dark alley, hold it at the ready. This will enable you to use it as soon as the danger comes your way, offsetting their advantage if they get a drop on you. Stay Aware of Your Surroundings : In the best-case scenario, you should always avoid dangerous locations and shady people. However, if you can't, make sure that you stay alert and keep your distance from possible threats. This reduces the chances of you getting attacked by the people who lurk around waiting for you. Know your location, specifically the nearest exits and safe areas. Know where the security doors are and where you might get trapped or locked in. That way, you have an escape route that can get you to a place close to police stations and other bustling public locations. After all, a lot of attackers become deterred when they know that it's possible for people to witness their possible crimes. Get Your Personal Protection Devices Today! It's important to keep these personal protection devices in mind. Getting at least one or two can help you get a greater degree of protection that can offset a potentially dangerous situation. After all, it's always better for you to prevent a crime from happening instead of becoming a victim of one. Do your best to avoid becoming a crime victim with these devices. Also, make sure that you at least know how to operate and reach them should the need arise. After all, your device is useless if you don't have the skills and confidence to use them when a crisis comes your way. But don't stop here! There are more important survival tips to learn! Feel free to visit us today and discover more, like this post showcasing the biggest survival lies in movies.

Demystifying the common GDPR Myths

1. GDPR is just a mechanism to fine companies!