GDPR 2018 - What's all the Hoo Ha about?
The story about Facebook selling off the personal data belonging to millions of their "friends" to Cambridge Analytica came at the right time for all those in the EU member states - well, not at the right time - it's the irony. Here we are on the cusp of having to abide by new Data Protection Laws and out of the woodwork (no surprise), comes the announcement that Facebook had been misbehaving. No amount of coaching and guidance could have prepared Mark Zukerberg for the onslaught he faced on Capitol Hill and jokes aside, his body language could not hide his guilt.
Digital & Social media - the Shift of Change
Why are we surprised though? We have these titans of the digital age - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Whats App, SnapChat et al and regardless of when you joined the fray, the phrase "Horse has bolted..." springs to mind. These organisations do NOT manufacture anything, they do NOT provide a worthwhile service, they are free to join and yet they are worth in the billions and billions of dollars. How did we think their worth was valued? The consumer - not even the average consumer - intelligent, educated consumers and their kids (heed the warnings) - gave them their power. We all followed like sheep and criticised anyone that was not part of the gang. Who is laughing now?
We have been working with clients on the GDPR since September and to be honest it's not that bad. We have tailored every element to the needs of the Letting Agent and Property Manager, written a hefty 42 page Impact Assessment and ensured that they have all the relevant resources to be compliant by 25th May 2018.
The process was tedious to begin with, yet the reaction we have had has been one of positivity - our clients have had to really think carefully about how they source data, what they do with that data, how they hold the data and what the risks are and surprisingly there are so many. But is it too little too late? The Data Protection Act 1998 has not been looked at properly in 20 years - yet the powers that be realised their was an incredible shift in technology and the way in which data was treated and did nothing. if you really want to think about your privacy as a consumer, then the GDPR is not such a bad thing.
Susie Crolla - CEO