# GDPR Requirements and Compliance

## Overview

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a comprehensive data protection law that came into effect in May 2018. It applies to all organizations processing personal data of EU residents, regardless of where the organization is located.

## Key Principles

### 1. Lawfulness, Fairness, and Transparency
- Process personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently
- Inform data subjects about data processing activities
- Provide clear privacy notices

### 2. Purpose Limitation
- Collect data only for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes
- Do not use data for purposes incompatible with original collection purpose
- Document all processing purposes

### 3. Data Minimization
- Collect only data that is necessary for the stated purpose
- Avoid collecting excessive or unnecessary data
- Regularly review and delete unnecessary data

### 4. Accuracy
- Keep personal data accurate and up to date
- Implement processes to correct inaccurate data
- Allow data subjects to update their information

### 5. Storage Limitation
- Retain personal data only as long as necessary
- Define and document retention periods
- Implement automated deletion processes

### 6. Integrity and Confidentiality
- Protect personal data against unauthorized access
- Implement appropriate technical and organizational measures
- Use encryption, access controls, and security measures

### 7. Accountability
- Demonstrate compliance with GDPR principles
- Maintain documentation of processing activities
- Conduct data protection impact assessments (DPIAs)

## Legal Basis for Processing

### Consent
- Freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous
- Easy to withdraw
- Clear indication of agreement
- Separate consent for different processing activities

### Contract
- Processing necessary for contract performance
- Pre-contractual measures
- Document contractual necessity

### Legal Obligation
- Processing required by law
- Identify specific legal requirement
- Document legal basis

### Vital Interests
- Processing necessary to protect vital interests
- Life-threatening situations
- Limited to emergency scenarios

### Public Task
- Processing necessary for public interest
- Official authority
- Government and public sector

### Legitimate Interests
- Processing necessary for legitimate interests
- Balance test required
- Override data subject interests
- Document legitimate interest assessment

## Data Subject Rights

### Right to Access (Article 15)
- Obtain confirmation of processing
- Access to personal data
- Information about processing purposes
- Recipients of data
- Retention periods
- Right to lodge complaint

### Right to Rectification (Article 16)
- Correct inaccurate data
- Complete incomplete data
- Update outdated information
- Notify third parties of corrections

### Right to Erasure (Article 17)
- "Right to be forgotten"
- Withdraw consent
- Data no longer necessary
- Unlawful processing
- Legal obligation to erase

### Right to Restrict Processing (Article 18)
- Contest accuracy of data
- Unlawful processing
- Data no longer needed but required for legal claims
- Objection pending verification

### Right to Data Portability (Article 20)
- Receive data in structured format
- Transmit to another controller
- Machine-readable format
- Applicable to automated processing based on consent or contract

### Right to Object (Article 21)
- Object to processing based on legitimate interests
- Object to direct marketing
- Object to processing for research purposes
- Stop processing upon objection

### Rights Related to Automated Decision-Making (Article 22)
- Not subject to automated decision-making
- Human intervention required
- Right to express point of view
- Right to contest decision

## Technical and Organizational Measures

### Encryption
- Encrypt data at rest
- Encrypt data in transit (TLS/SSL)
- Use strong encryption algorithms
- Manage encryption keys securely

### Access Controls
- Role-based access control (RBAC)
- Principle of least privilege
- Regular access reviews
- Multi-factor authentication

### Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
- Monitor data flows
- Prevent unauthorized data exfiltration
- Classify sensitive data
- Implement data loss prevention tools

### Pseudonymization
- Replace identifying information with pseudonyms
- Separate pseudonyms from additional information
- Reduce identifiability of data subjects
- Maintain data utility

### Anonymization
- Remove all identifying information
- Make data non-identifiable
- Irreversible process
- No longer personal data under GDPR

### Logging and Monitoring
- Log access to personal data
- Monitor data processing activities
- Detect security incidents
- Audit trails for compliance

## Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA)

### When Required
- Systematic and extensive profiling
- Large-scale processing of special categories
- Systematic monitoring of public areas
- High-risk processing activities

### DPIA Process
1. Describe processing operations
2. Assess necessity and proportionality
3. Identify and assess risks
4. Identify measures to mitigate risks
5. Document findings
6. Review and update regularly

### Risk Assessment
- Likelihood of risk occurrence
- Severity of impact on data subjects
- Nature, scope, context, and purposes
- Technical and organizational measures

## Data Breach Notification

### Internal Procedures
- Detect data breaches promptly
- Assess risk to data subjects
- Document breach details
- Notify supervisory authority within 72 hours

### Supervisory Authority Notification
- Without undue delay
- Within 72 hours of awareness
- Describe nature of breach
- Provide contact details of DPO
- Describe likely consequences
- Describe measures taken or proposed

### Data Subject Notification
- Without undue delay
- High risk to rights and freedoms
- Clear and plain language
- Describe nature of breach
- Provide recommendations
- Contact information for DPO

## Privacy by Design and Default

### Privacy by Design
- Integrate data protection from design stage
- Consider privacy in all processing activities
- Minimize data processing
- Maximize data security
- Full functionality with privacy protection

### Privacy by Default
- Default settings provide maximum privacy
- Only process data necessary for specific purpose
- Limit data collection by default
- Restrict access by default
- Limit retention by default

## Records of Processing Activities

### Controller Records
- Name and contact details
- Purposes of processing
- Categories of data subjects
- Categories of personal data
- Recipients of data
- Transfers to third countries
- Retention periods
- Security measures

### Processor Records
- Name and contact details
- Categories of processing
- Transfers to third countries
- Security measures
- Sub-processors

## Data Protection Officer (DPO)

### When Required
- Public authority or body
- Large-scale systematic monitoring
- Large-scale special category data processing

### DPO Responsibilities
- Inform and advise on GDPR obligations
- Monitor compliance
- Provide advice on DPIAs
- Cooperate with supervisory authority
- Act as contact point

## International Transfers

### Adequacy Decisions
- Transfer to countries with adequacy decision
- European Commission adequacy finding
- Regular review of adequacy decisions

### Appropriate Safeguards
- Standard contractual clauses (SCCs)
- Binding corporate rules (BCRs)
- Codes of conduct
- Certification mechanisms

### Derogations
- Explicit consent
- Contract performance
- Important public interest
- Legal claims
- Vital interests
- Public register

## Compliance Checklist

### Organizational Measures
- [ ] Appoint Data Protection Officer (if required)
- [ ] Conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments
- [ ] Maintain Records of Processing Activities
- [ ] Implement privacy policies and procedures
- [ ] Train staff on GDPR requirements
- [ ] Establish data breach response procedures

### Technical Measures
- [ ] Implement encryption (at rest and in transit)
- [ ] Implement access controls
- [ ] Implement pseudonymization/anonymization
- [ ] Implement logging and monitoring
- [ ] Implement data loss prevention
- [ ] Implement secure deletion mechanisms

### Data Subject Rights
- [ ] Implement right to access procedures
- [ ] Implement right to rectification procedures
- [ ] Implement right to erasure procedures
- [ ] Implement right to restrict processing
- [ ] Implement right to data portability
- [ ] Implement right to object procedures
- [ ] Implement automated decision-making safeguards

### Privacy by Design
- [ ] Integrate privacy from design stage
- [ ] Minimize data collection
- [ ] Implement privacy by default
- [ ] Document privacy considerations

### Third-Party Management
- [ ] Identify all processors
- [ ] Execute data processing agreements
- [ ] Monitor processor compliance
- [ ] Manage sub-processors
- [ ] Assess international transfers

## Best Practices

1. **Start with Data Minimization**: Collect only what you need
2. **Document Everything**: Maintain comprehensive records
3. **Implement Privacy by Design**: Build privacy into systems
4. **Regular Audits**: Conduct regular compliance assessments
5. **Staff Training**: Ensure all staff understand GDPR
6. **Incident Response**: Prepare for data breaches
7. **Data Subject Rights**: Make it easy for data subjects to exercise rights
8. **Third-Party Management**: Carefully manage processors and sub-processors
9. **International Transfers**: Ensure appropriate safeguards
10. **Continuous Improvement**: Regularly review and update compliance measures

## Common Pitfalls

1. **Insufficient Legal Basis**: Not properly identifying legal basis
2. **Inadequate Consent**: Consent not freely given or specific
3. **Poor Data Subject Rights**: Difficult to exercise rights
4. **Insufficient Security**: Weak technical measures
5. **Inadequate Documentation**: Missing records of processing
6. **Poor Third-Party Management**: Insufficient processor agreements
7. **International Transfer Issues**: Inadequate safeguards for transfers
8. **Breach Notification Delays**: Not notifying within 72 hours
9. **Privacy by Design Gaps**: Not integrating privacy from start
10. **Insufficient Training**: Staff not aware of GDPR requirements

