Staying Up-To-Date With The Ever-Changing Data Privacy Laws

Trying to keep up with privacy regulations continuously may seem like a challenge and a never-ending saga. However, you’ll still want to make sure that you’re up-to-date and not falling behind – or there may be consequences. 

There are different types of data protection privacy regulations. One of them is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the other is the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). GDPR has been around for more than 20 years and is helping shape the world of privacy policies regularly. But with changes come challenges, and you must be prepared to face them. Luckily, there are several ways to stay up to date with the most recent data privacy laws. 

In this article, we will hint at a few ways that can help you keep up with the ever-changing world of data privacy laws. 

How to stay up to date with privacy laws?

Understand privacy regulations

Focusing on what a data privacy law aims to achieve will produce the best returns for your company. Ensuring that you comply with data privacy laws is a must for every company’s strategies and isn’t considered an option nowadays. 

Data protection regulations share important things such as: 

• Protecting the rights of individuals regarding their personal information
• Collecting private information and being transparent concerning its usage
• Defending it against unauthorized use

Even though we mentioned that there are two major data privacy laws (GDPR and CCPA), different privacy laws apply to different countries worldwide. Hence, you must take them all seriously.

Establish a solid foundation

Despite the consistent fluctuations in data regulations, the first thing you want to do is to stay ahead of the game. The overall essence of all privacy laws is quite the same – granting rights to consumers to have complete control of their data. Hence, the specific definition of rights changes from time to time, and let’s keep in mind that the GDPR and CCPA don’t exactly grant the same rights. In short, we all know that the data we possess will continuously change. 

Without a solid foundation, it’s near impossible to keep up with all of these moving parts regarding data, and therefore, you need a foundation to be transparent about the data you are holding. 

After establishing your foundation, you can understand which type of data firmly correlates with the newest regulations. This means that even if any amendments are made, or you start to enter a new market, it won’t be an issue since you already have the basics for any privacy regulation.

Hire legal counsel

In order to keep data privacy difficulties off your back, you should comply with the latest data privacy laws and have enough awareness to determine how to comply with legislation and how it is established at different levels of organization tools, systems, processes, and workflow. In addition, all organizations should have legal counsel on board who can fully comply with business operations and adapt to a more significant digitization wave, balancing out private data laws with the required levels. 

Consent management done with consent forms is a considerable option to keep clean of any impending legislation, including what is going to happen to the data you are using, the period the data is supposed to stay in the organization, and how it will be altered in the long-term. Nevertheless, laws and regulations concerning buying data need to be developed and implemented. 

Pay attention to the cloud security alliance

Regulatory compliances and technology are evolving quickly, so businesses in the ecosystem should pay special attention to the latest security compliance control guidance given by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA).

The CSA ensures the implementation of the best practices for secure cloud computing, and assists businesses and cloud-solution providers in complying with the regulations related to private data laws.

Google and Apple developer resource kits

What is essential to know is that developers create software that operates across the world and has to comply with privacy requirements in the regions they are working in. In order to have good references, developers can consider using Google’s and Apple’s developer resource kits as guidance on the best practices and, at the same time, staying updated with privacy laws such as the CCPA and GDPR. 

Automated compliance software

Instead of hiring a data privacy regulator or compliance specialist, you can consider installing automated compliance software. This software gives access to new data privacy regulations to help companies review if they are operating in accordance with the latest privacy regulations. 

Furthermore, some popular automated compliance software you can consider using are: 

• ProcessGene GRC
• Wdesk
• Deltek Costpoint
• MyEasyISO
• Interfacing
  

Google Alerts

In short, if you are operating globally, you need to be aware of the changing regulations. Therefore, you must try to set up the best practices that align with global principles.
Consider using Google Alerts for up-to-date data privacy regulations in each country. These alerts will continuously update you on the amendments to data privacy policies in the country you are operating in. 

Read reports from the World Economic Forum

To stay informed about the most recent economic developments, consider reading reports from the World Economic Forum. After all, the private industry will often innovate much faster than governments will. Here you’ll find reliable sources that can largely help you to stay updated with what is happening in the data privacy world too.

Try learning from online courses

You can find various online courses that can help you stay in the loop with the data privacy legislation. The advantage here is that many are optimized to help you learn at your own pace, and you are allowed to take notes when listening. An even bigger plus is that the creators are doing all the work, and you will be the first to know when there are any new changes. 

Put these practices into action

To ensure they are carrying out the necessary tools and policies, companies should have a strong foundation, comply with all privacy regulations, and aren’t worried about how they are changing. So, a typical to-do list should look something like this:

• Get the proper legal guidance: Initially, before you do anything else, it’s a good idea to consult with internal or external legal counsel to make sure you understand the privacy laws you need to follow, and how they may change within your company if any changes occur. Of course, you don’t need to follow every single law, and it will all depend on the nature and size of your business, so determine which ones you need to follow to avoid issues.
• Set up data mapping and discovery tools: A robust mapping and discovery tool will show you the data you possess and allow you to match up that data to identities and to comply with regulations. Personally identifiable information (PI and PII), whether structured or unstructured, can create an ideal base where all types of privacy laws can be followed. However, until you have a solid data discovery process, it will be easy to fulfill the requirements.
• Invest in data governance, compliance, and regulation tools: Start by selecting a tool that will enable you to manage and create compliance policies. Look for legal-oriented tools with excellent track records that are always up to date and cover as many regulations as required. These types of tools are usually subscription-based and make it simple to switch between providers if one doesn’t meet your expectations or needs.
• Make data privacy a company default: Companies acting as if data privacy is their default will have an easier time implementing new strategies and adapting to recent changes. Begin by creating policies that no one in your niche has thought of and advocate for customer data to be protected and not sold to third parties for ‘good’ money.

Wrapping it up

These are some of the simplest tips to follow in order to stay up to date with the data privacy regulations and to make sure that you aren’t breaking any rules concerning private data. After all, it’s a sensitive topic that can upset customers easily.
However, it goes without saying that data privacy has changed how we collect and process consumer data.

Moreover, it has brought a whole new light to private data policies and it keeps consumers more protected than ever. Consumers have the right to control how their data is being used and are protected from third-party criminals who might try and sell their information.  

Don’t forget to use automated compliance software, and know that hiring a data or compliance specialist isn’t necessary unless you don’t know what you are doing – in which case, totally go for it. After all, your main goal is to save money and avoid any hefty fines related to data privacy. Establish a solid foundation, keep legal counsel, and in no time, you’ll find yourself entirely up to date!