By now you have probably been getting bombarded with information about what’s referred to as GDPR or General Data Protection Regulations.

In short, GDPR is a new set of rules designed to give citizens of the European Union more control over their personal data.

Organizations doing business in the EU are required to ensure personal data is gathered legally and under strict conditions. Those who collect and manage data will be forced to protect it from misuse and exploitation, as well as to respect the rights of data owners – or face penalties.

How does GDPR impact small business?

Before you spend time considering how these new legal regulations impact your business, first ask yourself this simple question: Have you ever, or do you plan to do business within the European Union? 

If the answer is an emphatic no, you may wish to NOT expend any time, effort or money into becoming GDPR compliant.

If your business, is or ever has been, active in the EU, GDPR compliance should be taken seriously. Ask yourself the following questions when considering GDPR compliance:

  • Do you store customer data that you receive from your website?
  • Do you use any of the information that you receive for direct marketing purposes?
  • Do you transfer data to any other companies? Especially ones that are outside of the US?

At the very least, to become GDPR compliant, your online data collection points, such as your website, will need to include a GDPR compliant Privacy Policy. These policies should be written with the aid of an experienced attorney.

At Idea Marketing Group we are NOT legal experts and we are NOT able to offer legal advice for your business regarding GDPR.

Whom to contact about GDPR compliance

We are referring all GDPR compliance questions to Chicago Attorney Donata Kalnenaite, who has developed expertise in this field. You can reach her at (312) 391-4341 or via email at donata@agencyattorneys.com

. We highly recommend Ms. Kalnenaite, as she has helped us with our own GDPR compliance efforts and is very affordable for small to medium-size business owners.