The EU’s data protection laws are held up as leading examples all over the world.
Data regulation is a complex area of law and research, constantly reacting to a shifting technological landscape. Our reliance on information, data and technology would have been unimaginable 20 years ago when the laws were first created, which without proper regulation could lead to personal data being used against our wishes.
The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is set to change all that. As it comes into force in May 2018, Edwards Insurance Brokers takes a look at the history of this new data regulation.
24 October 1995
The European Data Protection Directive was first created in 1995, and considered an essential element of EU privacy and human rights. It was concerned with the processing of personal data and the free movement of such data. The internet was only in its infancy at this time, so the potential uses and problems of online data were unknown.
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4 November 2010
Revising the Data Protection Directive, the European commission set out a strategy on how to protect individuals’ data in all policy areas, including law enforcement, while reducing red tape for business and guaranteeing the free circulation of data within the EU.
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25 January 2012
The European Commission proposed a comprehensive reform of the EU’s 1995 data protection rules to strengthen online privacy rights and boost Europe’s digital economy, in line with technological progress and globalisation.
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12 March 2014
The European Parliament demonstrated strong support for the draft General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which proposed giving people more power over their personal data. They voted 621 in favour, 10 against and 22 abstentions. Progress continued on the EU data protection reform.
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15th December 2015
The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission reach an agreement on the details of the GDPR.
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24th May 2016
The EU’s GDPR, one of its greatest achievements in recent years, entered into force. Organisations were given a year to prepare and comply before the regulation would be enforced.
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25 May 2018
The GDPR applies from this day.