Back to Blog
What is UK GDPR: 9 Key Things Businesses Need to Know
UK GDPR came into force on Jan. 1, 2021, and with it came the need for UK organizations to align their data protection compliance efforts with the new requirements.
Get exclusive insights on privacy laws, compliance strategies, and product updates delivered to your inbox
UK GDPR came into force on Jan. 1, 2021, and with it came the need for UK organizations to align their data protection compliance efforts with the new requirements.
UK GDPR came into force on Jan. 1, 2021, and with it came the need for UK organizations to align their data protection compliance efforts with the new requirements.
Since Brexit was officially confirmed with the transition period ending on Dec. 31, 2020, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) no longer applies in the UK.
This article focuses on the scope and substance of UK GDPR in relation to;
It refers to the United Kingdom’s General Data Protection Regulation. UK GDPR came into force on January 1, 2021, and outlines the main principles, rights, and requirements that businesses must follow in processing UK residents’ personal data.
UK GDPR is an adaptation of EU GDPR to ensure the latter works effectively domestically.
Here is the full-text of the UK GDPR to help you learn more about the new data protection regime in Britain.
It is an Act that creates the legal framework for data protection law in the UK that was adopted on 25 May 2018, to replace the Data Protection Act 1998.
The DPA 2018 was amended on Jan 1, 2021, following Brexit and now supplements the UK GDPR.
Check out the full-text of the Data Protection Act 2018 here.
You can read about the Swiss Federal Data Protection Act.
After Britain left the European Union following the end of the Brexit transition period, The UK Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 incorporated EU GDPR requirements.
Therefore, UK GDPR is a new data protection regime resulting from the incorporation of EU GDPR into British domestic data privacy law: the Data Protection Act (2018).
Businesses in the UK need to update their GDPR documentation and ensure it is in alignment with UK GDPR provisions.
Check out these 4 useful insights for GDPR post-Brexit with our blog.
If you collect, hold, or process personal data from persons living within the UK, you will be expected to comply with the post-Brexit data protection regime.
Similarly, if you are a company headquartered outside the UK, but you provide goods or services to residents of Britain, and monitor their online behavior, you will need to ensure that your data processing activities are compliant with UK GDPR.
You can sign up for a free trial of the #1 data privacy compliance tool in the market and make your website compliant in less than 1 week
If your company is found to be violating UK GDPR compliance requirements, you risk a maximum fine of £17.5 million.
This figure is different from the EU GDPR’s non-compliance penalty, which stands at 20 Million Euros or 4% of your yearly global revenue, whichever is higher.
Yes, it does. For companies operating in the UK, and now subject to UK GDPR, it is not time to sit back and relax. You will also be expected to comply with EU GDPR.
However, since the principles, rights, and obligations are almost similar between the two regulations, the main additional measures you will need to take to comply with EU GDPR include;
Although the two data privacy laws are fundamentally similar, there are some differences you need to pay attention to;
Pending the EU’s adequacy decision, the UK is currently designated as a third country when it comes to data flows between the two jurisdictions in the aftermath of Brexit.
To provide some context, a third country is any country outside the European Economic Area.
Transfers of EU residents’ personal data to a third country are allowed under three specific conditions which must be met to guarantee legitimacy under the EU GDPR;
For UK organizations, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement reached between the EU and UK in December 2020 means personal data flows from the EU will continue for a period not exceeding six months from December 31, 2020 - the end of the Brexit transition period.
The final adequacy decision is expected anytime soon since the EU Commission has already submitted the draft decision for review and recommendations from the European Data Protection Board (EDPB).
Secure Privacy’s GDPR compliance solution is packed with enterprise-level features that help businesses comply with both UK GDPR and EU GDPR. They include;
Learn more about Secure Privacy’s features with our video here
If you would like to receive additional information about UK GDPR, book a 30-min call today and get a data privacy expert to;
Explore more privacy compliance insights and best practices
