Appointing an EU GDPR representative is essential for non-EU companies processing EU residents’ data, as it ensures compliance with GDPR regulations. Your representative acts as a contact point for EU authorities and individuals, facilitating communication and legal obligations related to data protection. This appointment is not just a regulatory formality; it demonstrates a commitment to upholding the privacy and rights of EU data subjects and helps avoid potential legal and financial penalties for non-compliance with the GDPR’s stringent data privacy standards. Some businesses continue to o ..read more

Brexit and the GDPR January 4th 2021 The 31st December 2020 at 11pm signified the UK’s official departure from the EU single market after 48years. Though a deal may have been struck, it is by no means finalised. Many issues still need ironing out and one such factor is how to deal with data transfers between the UK and the EU going forward. For now, there is a further transition period of up to six months, which at least leaves some breathing space for those businesses that may not have put measures in place as yet. But in any case, the big question, for many, still remains as to what impact ..read more

Appointing an EU Representative December 9th 2020 This article explains, when an EU representative is required and what you should know when appointing an EU representative. EU representation is essential for all non-EU businesses for the purposes of compliance with Article 27 of the GDPR. When is an EU Representative required under GDPR? An EU representative is required under GDPR in any situation where a person who’s holding data on behalf of a data subject based in the EU, but doesn’t actually have an establishment in the EU themselves. So for instance, if a business outside of the EU is ..read more

A large number of UK firms may become GDPR non-compliant after Brexit SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 Many UK firms which do not have an EU-based location may become GDPR non-compliant when the Brexit transition period ends on the 31st December 2020. This is because many small to medium size organisations are unaware of the requirements stipulated in Article 27 of the GDPR. What is Article 27 and why should UK businesses be aware of it? Article 27 of the GDPR relates to “representatives of controllers or processors not established in the Union” and sets out obligations that organisations without a presen ..read more

Could the Covid-19 Crisis Lead to Further Increases in Data Breach Notifications? JULY 10, 2020 Global law firm Linklaters recently published analysis showing a 66% increase in data breach notifications across many European markets. With businesses under financial pressure as a result of Covid-19, there is speculation that the number of notifications may increase much further in next year’s reports. According to Linklater’s analysis, the following factors contributed most significantly to the increase in notifications from year 1 of the GDPR. External malicious acts, for example, hacking o ..read more

The Growth of Privacy; Day 21 – It Matters – Reflections on 20 Days of Writing FEBRUARY 26, 2020 Just over 20 working days ago I was challenged to engage of 20 days of writing around a theme.  I chose the theme of privacy and growth as I wished to explore the area in which I am now working, my growth to this point, its growth in the world.  To be honest, I have struggled to stick to the theme… It is a regular problem of mine when I write, I start from a particular point, but where I end up does not feel like something I have direct control over.  And whether the ground cove ..read more

The Growth of Privacy; Day 20 – The Enduring Lesson Of My Big Day in Dublin FEBRUARY 4, 2020 Do you remember where you were on the 1st December 1995? I do. It was the day Bill Clinton came to Dublin on a triumphant visit to give his blessing to the then-nascent Good Friday Agreement, otherwise known as the Belfast Agreement, the pivotal agreement that brought an end to the 30 years of The Troubles in Northern Ireland.  On College Green 80,000 jubilant people gathering to welcome and be charmed by Slick Willie. Around the corner in a basement on George’s Street I curled myse ..read more

The Growth of Privacy; Day 19 – Outward Signs of Our Inner Lives FEBRUARY 4, 2020 There was a man who owned a shop in the town where I grew up who dressed as a woman.  It was an unusual thing to do at the time. We lived in a very binary world then; the idea of gender being anything other than fixed and comprising of two categories simply hadn’t occurred to anyone, as far as I’m aware.  Certainly not where I was growing up. His was a substantial shop in the centre of the town, and so his radically different approach was very public and open. While I had little interest and de ..read more

The Growth of Privacy; Day 18 – The Lost Quotidian Journeys FEBRUARY 4, 2020 My maternal grandparents lived a while away from us when we were growing up, in a little bungalow just outside Cork city. This meant we didn’t see them quite as often but it also meant that when we did go to see them we got to stay.  On our own, with our grandparents.  This was the ultimate treat.  Freedom from parents; those were blissful times. My grandparents were both retired primary school principals, my grandfather had been principal of a boys’ school and my grandmother a principal of a girls ..read more

The Growth of Privacy; Day 17 -Run! FEBRUARY 4, 2020 Growing up I was scared of my uncle John; I really lived in fear of him. Though in hindsight, I think he must actually have been terrified of me. My uncle John was my father’s youngest brother.  My father was the eldest son and they were a traditional farming family who had been on that land for generations.  McCarthy’s, and male Florence McCarthys in particular, had been on that land for over 200 years up to my grandfather’s time, so continuation was a thing; it mattered.  If primogeniture had run its course, my father would ..read more