The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a comprehensive European Union (EU) law enacted in May 2018. It governs how businesses and organizations handle, collect, and process the personal data of individuals located within the EU, regardless of where the company itself is based.

• Lawfulness & Transparency: Data must be processed fairly, legally, and transparently.

• Purpose Limitation: Data can only be collected for specified, explicit, and legitimate reasons.

• Data Minimization: Organizations must only collect the minimum amount of data necessary for their specific purpose.

• Accuracy: Personal data must be kept up to date and corrected promptly if inaccurate.

• Storage Limitation: Data cannot be kept indefinitely; it must be erased when no longer needed.

• Integrity & Confidentiality: Strict security measures must be in place to protect against unauthorized access, loss, or damage.

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Under GDPR, individuals (known as "data subjects") receive specific protections:

• Right to Access: The right to request copies of personal data held by an organization

• Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): The right to request that personal data be permanently deleted

• Right to Data Portability: The ability to transfer personal data from one service provider to another

• Right to Object/Restrict Processing: The right to opt-out of direct marketing or specific types of data processing

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• Global Reach: It applies to any organization worldwide if it offers goods/services to, or monitors the behavior of, individuals in the EU.

• Heavy Fines: Non-compliance can lead to severe financial penalties - up to €20 million or 4% of a company’s global annual turnover, whichever is higher.

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