General Data Protection Regulation Goes into Effect Today
Today, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) goes into effect for the whole of the European Union (EU). The GDPR regulates how all organizations, large and small, process personal data. Although the current data-privacy legislation will remain in effect in the Caribbean Netherlands, the effects of this new regulation will also be felt here.
As of today, stricter rules apply for transferring and exchanging personal data to or with EU countries. The aim is to limit the risk of (digital) personal data fraud and make sure that all countries exchanging information with the EU have adequate levels of privacy protection. This also applies to organizations in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
On the Data Protection Authority’s website, you can find information on what this means for all who record or share personal data. Roëlla Pourier of the Authority’s Secretariat, explains: “The AVG provides much stricter rules on how to obtain authorization to handle personal data. You must be able to show that you have valid authorization from the data subject to process his or her data, what you will be doing with the information and whom you will be sharing it with.”
The authority collaborates with other protection agencies to monitor the GDPR’s effects for the islands and to communicate this information to organizations and individual citizens. More information sessions will follow, flyers will be posted on our website, and the brochure What You Need to Know about GDPR is available for downloading on www.cbpbes.com. The Authority is interested in learning of any difficulties being experiences in this regard, so as to be able to respond.
To report any difficulties in this area, or for more information on the new European GDPR, please contact Roëlla Pourier of our Secretariat at roella.pourier@rijksdienstcn.com, or by phone at +599 7158392.