Have you got €20m to spare?

The EU’s incoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the biggest change in data protection ever to occur in Ireland and the most significant overhaul of European data protection regulations in more than 20 years.

It will require a much higher standard of consent from the consumers (customers, clients, suppliers, employees etc.) to legally handle their data.  Businesses will need ‘clear opt-in methods, good records of consent and simple easy to access ways for people to withdraw consent’, or they will be found in breach of the regulation.  Breaches mean organisations can be fined €20m or up to 4% of total annual turnover, whichever is higher.  With the risk of heavy fines not to mention the reputational damage and loss of consumer confidence caused by non-compliance, Irish firms must act fact.

This law is designed to change our behaviour when using consumer’s personal data across all aspects of the business, even if we are contracted to supply them with a product or service. The law comes into effect on the 25^th of May 2018.  We are all consumers as well as business owners, so this is a welcome move that will stop the unsolicited messages and phone calls we receive every day from people trying to market or sell to us.

The good news is there is a technology solution, costing as little as €100 per month that makes your enterprise compliant with this new legislation and will keep you compliant going forward as long as you collect, process and communicate with your consumers using the online service called Consumer Data Protection or CDP.(www.ConsumerDataProtection.org)

This technology is the first of its kind and has been designed by a technology entrepreneur, Brendan Dowling, who has created a number of innovative technology companies that have changed business models globally.  Brendan has been operating internationally for many years, but he has returned to his home place to base the company here. He intends to establish Carlow as a centre of excellence for Consumer Data Protection, showcasing it to the rest of Europe as a county that has embraced this new legislation and excelled in its implementation to the benefit of the business and the consumers. The company has opened offices in the Enterprise Centre on O’Brien road and will continue to recruit local people from Carlow to build out its customer support and operations centre.

A private launch event for Carlow Companies will take place on Thursday 27th April at Walsh Whisky  from 5.00 – 7.00 pm and will include a talk from one of Irelands top Solicitors on GDPR (Aoife Sexton).  Brendan will also give the first preview of his technology solution. This event is for the CEOs who have a lot of employees and or a lot of consumers (customers).  There are a maximum of 20 places remaining so if you wish to attend please send an email to bdowling@consumerdataprotection.org