Data Compliance and Governance: A Professional Guide

In today’s data-driven world, organizations handle vast amounts of sensitive information daily. Data compliance and robust governance are crucial for maintaining data integrity, confidentiality, and availability while avoiding the pitfalls of a privacy breach or noncompliance.  This article discusses what it means to implement data governance policies for data compliance across several different (privacy-centric) frameworks. … Read More

Risk Assessment Requirements for GDPR Compliance

Cybersecurity trends are moving from checklist compliance to comprehensive, risk-driven security. This is just as true in the European Union, where data subject privacy and security requirements are strict.  Fortunately, GDPR provides significant guidance on general risk management and specific risk assessment requirements. We’ll cover those requirements here.   

What Is A Data Privacy Impact Assessment (DPIA)?

New data security regulations include, or foreground, the role of data privacy in compliance. Many of these, like GDPR and CCPA, make data privacy a primary concern and expect businesses to meet stringent requirements about protecting the integrity of consumers’ Personally Identifiable Data (PII). One practice stemming from GDPR requirements is the Data Privacy Impact… Read More

What Is the European Cybersecurity Certification Scheme for Cloud Services (EUCS)

The European Cybersecurity Certification Scheme for Cloud Services (EUCS) is an initiative to establish a unified certification process for cloud services across the EU. Cloud services and associated managed services are critical to most government and business functions, and the EU follows the example of other jurisdictions in focusing explicitly on this area of cybersecurity… Read More

Understanding GDPR in the Financial Sector

When considering security and finance, we typically consider regulations like PCI DSS, SOX, or FINRA. But if you’re a company doing business in Europe, there’s another framework you need to consider–GDPR. This set of regulations not only governs the exchange of consumer data but also has a massive impact on how financial organizations navigate commerce… Read More

Europrivacy and GDPR Assessments

One of the ongoing challenges of GDPR is its (until recently) fragmented compliance and assessment approach. The requirements of GDPR are relatively open–they focus on standards and expectations, not implementation. Therefore, many assessment tools and frameworks have emerged to address the situation. Recently, Europrivacy has risen as a potential centralization of assessments under a common… Read More

The California Delete Act and CCPA Privacy Law

Companies and data brokers, armed with sophisticated data collection techniques, amass vast amounts of personal data, often without the explicit consent or awareness of the individuals concerned. The urgency of the matter has propelled jurisdictions worldwide to enact stringent data protection laws.  This article explores a new development in privacy law: the Data Delete Act.… Read More

What is a Data Processing Agreement in GDPR?

Central to data protection in the EU is the GDPR and its data processing regulation. One of the most challenging aspects of GDPR is adjudicating the relationships between different parties handling data for various purposes–namely, relationships between managed service providers and the various, nebulous groups of organizations that use data for their daily operations.  In… Read More

GDPR Article 32 and the Security of Processing

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one of the strongest security and privacy frameworks in operation in the world. Of this regulation, Article 32 stands out among its numerous guidelines as it deals explicitly with the “security of processing” of personal data. This piece aims to demystify GDPR Article 32, breaking down its requirements… Read More

GDPR and Transference of Data to Non-EU Jurisdictions

GDPR governs data privacy in the EU, and organizations on both sides of the Atlantic are grappling with its intricacies.  However, understanding the ins and outs of GDPR, particularly its provisions around international data transfers, can take time and effort. To further complicate matters, the Schrems II decision invalidated the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework and… Read More

Complying with GDPR Requirements and the Europrivacy Certification Mechanism

GDPR certification is quickly becoming a topic of concern for enterprise businesses worldwide. With news of Meta’s record-breaking $1.3B fine from the European Union, companies are learning that data privacy and compliance in the EU is no joke. This article will dig into GDPR to discuss how organizations can approach their security and privacy with best… Read More

How Can Managed Service Providers Handle GDPR Regulations?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has fundamentally transformed the data protection landscape for organizations operating within the European Union. Managed Service Providers, essential partners for many businesses, must also carefully navigate GDPR compliance to protect their clients’ data and maintain trust. Understanding the implications of GDPR on MSPs and their services is vital for… Read More

ISO 27701 and Conformance with Privacy Information Management (Part 4)

As previously discussed, ISO/IEC 27701 is a comprehensive international standard that provides specific privacy guidelines for organizations attempting to meet additional standards for handling PII in line with jurisdictions like GDPR. This document aligns ISO-compliant organizations with PII-focused standards by implementing Privacy Information Management Systems (PIMS). So far, we’ve covered how ISO 27701 refines ISO… Read More

ISO 27701 and Conformance with Privacy Information Management (Part 3)

We’ve previously discussed ISO 27701 and how it refines two essential security standards and control libraries (ISO 27001 and ISO 27002). But, the entire purpose of ISO 27701 is to align IT systems with privacy requirements found under GDPR.  Here, we’ll discuss the third section of this document that defines additional guidelines for organizations acting… Read More

ISO 27701 and Conformance with Privacy Information Management (Part 2)

The International Organization for Standardization wrote ISO 27701 to align the standards of the ISO 27001 series with privacy-based standards like GDPR and CCPA. As such, it addresses the core requirements of that standard and refines them so that organizations don’t have to fumble in the dark about adapting their existing ISO certifications to larger… Read More

What Is the Europrivacy Hybrid Certification Model?

GDPR has needed a centralized assessment and certification model for some time now. Still, with the plethora of certifications and standards covering different business contexts, there has yet to be a single approach that has risen to the top of the heap. However, the governing bodies of GDPR have authorized the new Europrivacy standard to… Read More

What Are GDPR Penalties?

Have you noticed the increasingly-complex cookie disclosure forms popping up on even the most unassuming website? These expanded forms aren’t present because digital businesses have suddenly decided informing customers about their data collection practices is an ethical imperative. Instead, these companies are most likely working with customers in both the U.S. and the EU, and… Read More