Earlier this week, the Information Commissioner's Office published a short guide (PDF) setting out 12 steps that organisations can take now to help them prepare for the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which will come into effect in 2018. The GDPR will impact on all organisations in the UK and require them to review their approach to handling personal information, their internal policies and procedures and ensure that privacy issues are considered at the outset of any new project. The new laws are backed up by stronger enforcement powers including fines of up to €20m or 4% of global turnover. With little over two years to go until the new laws come into force, organisations need to start thinking now about their compliance programme. To help organisations prepare, we will be hosting a series of free seminars at our offices in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, featuring contributions from Scotland's leading experts on Data Protection and Information Law:
  • Aberdeen - Thursday 19 May 2016 (12:00 to 13:30)
  • Edinburgh - Tuesday 12 April 2016 (08:30 to 10:00)
If you would like to sign up to attend, please follow the relevant link above. In the meantime, if you would like to discuss how the GDPR will impact on your organisation and the steps that you should be taking, please get in touch with me, Grant Campbell or your usual Brodies contact.