The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a law that protects the personal data of people in the European Union (EU). It gives people more control over their own information. Companies must follow strict rules for collecting, storing, and using personal data. The law makes sure that companies are open and honest about what they do with personal information.
Examples
- Cookie pop-ups: When you visit a website, you often see a message about cookies. This message asks for your permission to collect your data. That’s because of GDPR.
- Data breach notice: If a company that has your information gets hacked, they must tell you right away. The law requires them to tell people if their data was exposed.
- “Right to be forgotten”: You can ask a company to delete all your personal data. For example, you can contact an online store and ask them to remove your address and order history.
- Clear privacy policies: Companies must have easy-to-read privacy policies that explain what information they collect and why. These policies can’t be full of confusing legal words.
Context
The GDPR became a law on May 25, 2018. It replaced an older law from 1995. The old law was not good enough for the internet age. The new law was created to deal with how much data companies collect online today. The main goal of GDPR is to make sure that people’s right to privacy is respected. It applies to any company in the world that handles the data of people in the EU, not just companies located there. The law also gives authorities the power to issue large fines to companies that don’t follow the rules.
