Discussion around General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) started years ago and effective May 25, 2018, is when enforcement starts. With less than two months to go, many firms are not aware of the rules and severe penalties associated with non-compliance. Simply stated, any organization collecting, and processing data of EU citizens must be fully compliant. Irrespective of whether you operate within or out of the EU.
In the airport industry, thousands of passengers are entering airport lounges every year generating incredible amounts of big data. As severe as this may sound, you should not panic. GDPR does not promote the end of all personal data. Instead, it will set the rules for increased transparency and secure handling of personal data with hefty fines for non-compliance.
What Is Personal Data?
According to the European Commission, Personal Data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable living individual. Pieces of information may include full names, ID documents, addresses, geographical locations, etc. that can lead to the identification of a particular person. This extends also to include identifiers such as location-based triggers, IP addresses and genetic data.
Personal data that is extracted to become anonymous in such a way that the individual is no longer identifiable is not considered personal data. For data to be truly anonymized, it must be irreversible (never be able to identify the unique individual). The law protects personal data regardless of the technology used.
Keeping Customers Data Private – Now A Priority.
VIP lounges are areas frequented by select individuals and who cherish their privacy. Whether they are a celebrity, company officer, government official or regular passenger, data privacy extends equally across all social functions. Therefore, compromising their privacy through exposing their personal data can be a serious issue.
On our GDPR Compliance Journey
One of the key provisions of the new legislation is the “right to be forgotten”. IEG designs within its system a Shred® capability where customer data can be anonymized on request. Yes, the data collected can be completely anonymized and used strictly for statistics and insights. The shred® option is perfect for firms that need to ensure their end customers’ privacy.
At which stage of the GDPR journey are you currently on? What are you doing to keep your customers’ personal data safe?
Visit our website to learn more about how we can help bring efficiency to your VIP Lounge Business.
