Compliance With UK GDPR

GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation, is a set of European rules and standards related to privacy and data governance. After the EU Referendum, the UK retained GDPR in domestic law. GDPR applies to European companies and any UK company doing business with European or UK customers. This regulation requires the active consent of customers and provides them with more control over their information transfer. It also sets up significant penalties for non-compliance.

GDPR started on May 25, 2018 and compliance isn't optional.

High penalties

The penalties for non-compliance are severe. Fines can go up to £20 million or 4% of your total worldwide annual turnover from the previous financial year, whichever is higher.

Explicit customer consent

You need clear and specific consent for collecting data and using it for specific purposes. You also have to prove that individuals have agreed (opted in) and they can change their minds and withdraw their consent.

Compliance outside the UK

Non-European companies used to rely on 'Safe Harbour' provisions for data protection, but those no longer apply since they were overturned by the European Court of Justice in 2015.

Personal data can be anything

Making sure information and documents are well-organised is crucial for compliance. Personal data, as defined by the EC, includes any private or professional information about an individual. This covers details like name, address, photo, email, bank info, social media posts, medical information or IP addresses.

Paper documents count

GDPR applies to the processing of personal data wholly or partly through automation. It also applies to the processing other than by automated means which form part of a filing system. In other words — paper documents.

Extended chains of liability

If a cloud services provider or document processing outsourcer manages your personal information, you're still responsible for ensuring they follow proper data governance practices.

How DocuWare helps meet GDPR compliance

There's no single technology that meets all GDPR requirements. Organisations must adopt a holistic information management strategy. Document management and workflow automation can play a key role.

DocuWare offers both a document management and a workflow automation system that helps you comply with all of your document-based processes.

Using DocuWare, your company gains the ability to:

Locate and access personal data stored in and processed with your documents
Export, correct and delete personal data (for example, deleting data helps comply with the new 'right to be forgotten' article)
Ensure personal data is protected and not processed further

Learn more about the DocuWare platform

Important cornerstones of GDPR and the DocuWare solutions that help you comply

Providers of document management solutions — such as DocuWare — help ensure compliance with GDPR. Email, contracts and other documents that contain personally identifiable information are considered personal data and must be archived, managed, protected and controlled. Discover how DocuWare helps. Download the free GDPR White Paper.

eBook: “Data Protection and Security – The EU GDPR is Just the Tip of the Iceberg”

Published by AIIM (Association for Information and Image Management), this helpful guide covers:

How has data protection and security changed over the years?
What is the GDPR? Who does it impact? What do these regulations mean for companies?
How should your organization respond and what role will machine learning play in solving problems?

In many ways the EU is leading the way toward a fundamental overhaul of privacy protection that brings it in line with the realities of digital commerce. Resistance may be both futile and counterproductive to the promotion and growth of digital commerce.

More detailed information

GDPR Text

Please find here the English version of GDPR with contents and a handy quick search.

Official GDPR Website

On the official website of the European Union, you can find the language versions for all EU member states available for download.

EU: Rules for Companies

The European Commission published an FAQ entitled Rules for business and organisations.