It’s been just over a year since the General Data Protection Regulation came into force. The European Union’s privacy law established stricter rules for businesses and organizations that process personal information, while providing consumers with greater control over their data.
Let’s take a look at some data on how the regulation has been implemented and what its actual effects have been.
1. Many companies are still not operating in line with GDPR
According to a study from ImmuniWeb, many businesses are still failing to abide by the basic requirements of the regulation. It turns out that 51% of the 100 most visited websites in 28 EU member states had a missing or hard-to-find (not easily visible and accessible from the main page) privacy policy despite GDPR stating that it should be easily accessible.
2. Consumers are happier with how companies handle their data
41% of consumers say they are currently more comfortable and confident with how companies manage their data thanks to the introduction of the GDPR – according to Consumer Email Tracker 2019 report from DMA. Just 35% felt that GDPR didn’t increase their confidence, while 24% were unsure. Fewer customers reported being not sure how brands got their email addresses than a year earlier – falling from 43% to 33%.
3. Customer experience hasn’t changed that much
A year after the GDPR came into force, 6% of consumers strongly agree that their experience with brands has improved, while 25% tend to agree – according to research commissioned by Marketing Week. For 46% it made no difference, while 5% strongly disagree, and 12% tend to disagree.
4. Google with the greatest fine
The European Data Protection Board reports that there have been 206,326
cases of breaches and complaints reported to EU authorities. However, the fines have not really hit many companies, and numerous countries – such as the U.K., Italy, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Croatia and Denmark – have not levied a single GDPR fine. On the other hand, France has issued the largest fine, which amounted to €50 million, against Google. This single fine made up almost 90% of the total sum of fines imposed during the first year of GDPR.
Leave a Reply