What does it mean to be GDPR Compliant? | GDPReu.org
Organisations must be GDPR compliant to avoid penalties or reputational damage and to protect the rights of data subjects living within the EU.
If you’re wondering how exactly a business can be GDPR compliant, then this simple guide is for you. GDPR compliance, at its core, is about an organisation meeting the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation 2018. Read on to find out why compliance is so important and what organisations must do to avoid breaches and penalties.
For UK-based organisations, GDPR compliance also refers to adhering to the UK GDPR, which mirrors the EU regulations under the Data Protection Act 2018. This means that compliance strategies remain largely the same, but organisations must also monitor guidelines issued by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
The privacy laws under GDPR are the strictest in the world. Devised and implemented by the European Union in 2018, the GDPR lays out organizational measures that international organisations must take when they use personal data relating to anyone who comes from one of the EU member states.
GDPR was launched officially on 25 May 2018 and replaced the previous Data Protection act that was no longer considered wide-ranging enough.
Designed specifically to strengthen the rights of data subjects on how the data controller uses their information.
Since Brexit, UK-based businesses also operate under the UK GDPR, which closely follows EU standards. While the core principles are unchanged, it’s important to adapt practices to comply with local (UK) regulatory guidance.
There are three main objectives of GDPR related to personal data:
Establish and safeguard the privacy rights of individuals against unlawful processing.
Standardise data privacy laws across EU member states to create clear obligations for data controllers.
Update data protection laws to reflect technological advances and changes over the past decades.
It’s always helpful to explain GDPR terminology before we go into how to adequately comply and how to avoid GDPR fines.
The following list explains the major terminology used within the legislation and should help to explain the kind of data protection measures organisations must take to tick off their GDPR compliance checklist.
Refers to individuals who live in the EU and who have had their data collected, held, or otherwise processed by a data protection officer, controller, or another processor.
Are the entities responsible for defining the lawful basis for data collection and the processing of personal data related to data subjects.
Work with the data controller and process data.
Means regular and systematic monitoring or operations performed on sets of personal data. This can include automated processing or manual.
Means any data, whether large scale or not, related to the data subject. The data here must be able to identify the individual due to it relating to a name, photos, bank statements or an email address.
In this context means the necessity of obtaining the consent of the data subject to process data. The organisation must provide data subjects with an option to give consent and it must be a “freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous indication”.
When working out whether this personal data protection legislation impacts your organisation, you need to consider whether your data activity comes under GDPR and whether you fall into the territorial scope of the law.
For example, US businesses can still be subject to GDPR if they are collecting or using sensitive personal data or other personal data belonging to individuals who live in the EU. Business practices must reflect whether their core activities consist of services online or offline that come under GDPR to avoid criminal convictions or any breach. This includes third countries, such as the UK.
As the GDPR puts in place appropriate safeguards and security measures surrounding a controller’s processing of personal data, it applies whether the actual processing takes place in the EU.
Therefore, it can cover overseas Government agencies or non-profit organisations as well as any public authority or private company that deals with data owned by EU citizens.
Along with the right to withdraw consent, the GDPR outlines the following rights regarding consumer data. Organisations must ensure compliance by upholding these rights:
It is important to conduct data protection impact assessments to create an actionable plan. Any plan for compliance must revolve around the 7 GDPR principles. These are:
Organisations that either do not comply with the legislation or cause a breach could face large fines. The most serious cases of non-compliance could lead to a fine of up to seventeen million Euros (or 4% of the organisation’s annual turnover).
As of the latest guidelines, non-compliance penalties remain at up to €20 million or 4% of turnover (for EU jurisdiction) and similar scales for UK regulators. Always refer to the ICO’s guidance and European Data Protection Board releases for current figures and enforcement practices.
When deciding on whether to penalise an organisation, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) will consider certain aspects of the breach. These include:
However, the ICO is clear that compliance is not about finding organisations. Rather, it is about protecting the privacy of an individual’s information, something that is increasingly important in the age of ‘big data’.
The reason for the extremely high fines is to demonstrate just how important compliance is with GDPR, and that organisations should do everything they can to ensure that they are within all the regulatory guidelines.
Perhaps just as damaging as a fine is the negative impact such a breach could do on your company’s reputation. In the worst cases, this reputational damage can be impossible to rectify.
Non-compliance can result in hefty fines—up to €20 million or 4% of annual turnover, depending on jurisdiction.
Regulatory bodies like the ICO consider factors such as the severity of the breach, negligence, prior breaches, data types involved, and impact on individual rights. Beyond fines, reputational damage can be severe and long-lasting.
Stay updated by regularly consulting ICO guidance and European Data Protection Board releases.
In 2025, the importance of online reputation management continues to grow as data privacy regulations tighten and digital visibility becomes more critical.
Addressing negative search results, enhancing positive content, and managing online narratives are essential steps for maintaining trust and credibility.
Reputation management services can help streamline these processes, ensuring compliance with regulations while improving brand perception.
By focusing on tailored strategies, businesses and individuals can protect and enhance their digital presence, positioning themselves for sustainable success in an increasingly scrutinised online environment.