Technology

Posted on November 14, 2017 by staff

GDPR-related searches have more than trebled

Technology

The number of people searching for information about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has more than trebled in the last year, new data has revealed.

Manchester-based digital marketing agency I-COM says Google searches for terms related to GDPR rose by 215 per cent in the last 12 months, from 138,290 queries in October 2016 to 435,600 searches in October 2017.

GDPR represents the biggest shift in data protection in a generation. Supporters of the new legislation say it hands back control to consumers over the use of their personal data but for companies it means a race against time to become compliant.

Companies have until May 25th, 2018 to get their house in order and ensure that personal data is processed lawfully for a specific purpose. Once that purpose is fulfilled, the data should be deleted.

Businesses guilty of breaching the law face fines of up to £17m (€20m) or 4 per cent of worldwide turnover (whichever is greater).