This is a very important policy update. Please take the time to read this short post. In this update I’m going to brief you on the new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in the EU which is officially taking effect on May 25th, 2018. 

The EU’s New General Data Protection Regulations

The GDPR details new privacy data regulations and legislation being enforced by the European Union. These regulations will apply to anyone and everyone who does business within Europe in handling PII (Personal Identifiable Information) such as names, emails, addresses, phone numbers, credit card data, employment data, background info, criminal history, social security numbers, etc.

These privacy laws are new to the world, and if you’re in the tech industry or own a business — it’s the latest buzz. Everyone is working hard to make sure compliance is being met. Data and Privacy laws within the US are quite lenient when compared to the new GDPR standards being set forth in the EU (European Union). Hence, the recent scandal within Facebook via Cambridge Analytica, which is a global behemoth who turns its users into products. We are yet to see justice served for the 87 million deliberately violated within the global public by this social media company. The good news is the GDPR changes that.

Europe has the ability to prosecute any violation — including those outside of Europe with a fine of 20 Million for data breaches founded via lack of compliance. For small businesses that is crushing. There is no surviving that kind of penalty. With that said, everyone within the business and tech industry is taking painstaking measures to make absolutely sure they are meeting the new GDPR regulations, as we now live in a vast global economy.

Through viable networking, we have had the privilege of gaining access to a practicing and very distinguished lawyer in Europe who has given us sound information on the GDPR compliance standards. We would like to humbly thank to Nick Stephenson of Your First 10,000 Readers and distinguished EU lawyer Suzanne Dibble for their valuable contributions within the industry and community abroad.

We are dotting our I’s and crossing our T’s. We are doing everything possible to make sure we are fully compliant ahead of the scheduled time. Our rollout for GDPR will be effective by midnight May 24th, CST with respect to the International Date Line.

How the GDPR will affect you as a consumer

Everyone who does any business online always needs to be aware of with whom they are doing business and how their data is being handled or used. Breaches occur even within some of the largest most notable companies. So you must always be aware and be careful. We recommend reading privacy policies fully, making a copy of them for your records, and keeping tabs with those whom you’ve established connection or are doing business. Gone are the days of blind business transactions. We urge everyone reading this to begin taking pro-active and responsible measures toward your own PII, how you allow it to be handled, and with whom. We do not recommend sharing your personal data (PII) with any individual, company, or organization who does not have a privacy policy, or whose privacy policy is out of date, or non-compliant with US and international laws.

Since our inception we have gone above and beyond to make sure our users and visitors are fully protected. On all our forms we offer an opt-in for any information you enter, which is only now a new GDPR compliance standard. Our current privacy policy is fully compliant with US standards, regulations, and legislation. We are also fully compliant with the EU Cookie Law.

With the rollout of GDPR a full transparency is being demanded on how your information is being handled and used, and with whom. That means companies MUST now list those third parties with whom they share your information to do viable business transactions, and how that information is being stored and retrieved. It also means there are no default settings, no hidden agendas, and no marketing ploys that will bring potential spam. A full disclosure is required with opt-ins — which means you MUST give consent and that the information provided to you must be fully transparent. There are no default checkboxes. Opt-ins must also be delineated. A separate check box must be available for each opt-in measured. For example: if you visit a website that asks you to sign up for a free book and that when you do you’ll also be receiving notifications and email updates for marketing. That’s no longer okay. Those options must be delineated: one opt-in is necessary for the free book, and another opt-in is necessary for the emails. We are already delineating opt-ins on all our forms, but are taking measures to make sure they are compliant.

Double Opt-ins are also being pushed, but not required. That means you, as the consumer, must initially opt-in by checking the box, and then also confirm via email that your opt-in is indeed valid. We are also doing this. Anytime you subscribe, you must confirm your subscription. 

These new regulations, and many more, are going to affect you as a consumer. Please be aware, and please be ready. There are many new regulations within GDPR that will affect businesses and websites worldwide, but those I’ve discussed are the ones that you need to know about.

Our New Privacy Policy

Our new policy will go live May 24th, 2018 at midnight CST. We will send out a new post with a link. We ask that you read it and print one for your records. And if you have any questions, please contact us immediately. We will be standing by to answer.

We take security and privacy very, very seriously. We have always considered it our number one priority. With that said this new GDPR compliance is truly a wonderful thing, although its creating waves of panic. We love that the EU is cracking down, making companies comply, and making violators pay. We love that companies will no longer be able to fleece people. We love that spam will no longer be tolerated. We love that privacy policies can no longer be written with vague legal jargon no one understands. We love that it puts the consumer back in control of how their information is handled with clear options and transparent information. We love that there will be stiff penalties that will hopefully crush those who are malicious in the cyberspace — and there are many. 

For those who are compliant, GDPR is great news folks. For those who are not — it’s a nightmare. We only hope these new laws will soon be enacted by US legislation as well.

We hope that you will love GDPR and find our new policy to be precisely what you desire as a consumer, user, and visitor. We are fully committed to serving you with excellence and integrity.

If you have any questions, please comment here, or contact us. We are here to serve, and we look forward to our future with you!

Cheers & Shalom,

Image Credit: © Appointed Time Press, LLC

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