GDPR

Roughly 57% of the global population now have access to the internet. While being connected to the largest database in the world does bring a host of advantages, it does come at a price. Recent statistics revealed that about 53% of online users are currently more concerned about their online privacy compared to a year ago.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that website users must give active consent for cookies to be stored on their equipment. 

The European Union’s Ruling

The European Union Court Rules that Active Consent is Required for Storing Cookies.

Big changes with regard to privacy are coming out of the EU. A press announcement from the Court of Justice of the European Union reveals that active consent is required by internet users for strong cookies to be placed on their equipment. The court ruled that active consent is not a pre-checked box that the user must deselect in order to refuse his or her consent.

This ruling was the judgment in Case C-673/17, Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen und Verbraucherverbände ? Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband eV v Planet49 GmbH.

Cookies, of course, are files that websites store on the site user’s computer that the website provider can access when the user visits the website again. The purpose is to facilitate transactions or navigation of the site or to access information about the user’s behavior.

Whether or not the information stored or accessed on the user’s equipment is personal data does not affect the decision.

The Court stated that consent must be specific. Therefore, a user selecting a button to participate in, say, some sort of promotion does NOT mean that the user gave his or her consent to the storage of cookies.

In addition, the Court decided that website service providers must inform users of the duration of the operation of cookies and whether or not third parties may have access to those cookies.

Want to learn more about compliance with EU regulations like GDPR? Contact RSI Security today.

Since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was enforced on May 25, 2018, many have complied with it lest they face unprecedented non-compliance fines and other consequences. GDPR, at its core, is the new set of rules designed for EU individuals to give them more control over their data. Its objective is to make the regulatory environment simple so that both businesses and their customers in the EU can ultimately benefit from the digital economy. 

In this article, we’ll be tackling the top industries affected by GDPR, the challenges that they face since the regulation has come into effect over a year ago, and the benefits they receive from this data privacy law. These industries are the following: social media, online retail, digital banking, cloud computing, and healthcare. 

E-Commerce websites are constantly under scrutiny for a myriad of reasons. Whether it be from consumers or regulatory committees, these websites need to play defense 24/7 to ensure their networks remain compromise-free from the threat of hackers. This is one of the main reasons why the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was adopted in Europe in 2006.

Although GDPR may be somewhat of a regulatory headache for e-commerce websites, it is also important for keeping consumer data secure. With an estimated average of 4,800 e-commerce websites every month becoming compromised by hackers inserting malicious code into their website to steal payment information such as credit card numbers, names, and more – there is no denying that a strong defense is the perfect solution.  

This is why having a GDPR compliance checklist for e-commerce companies is incredibly advantageous in helping overcome these malicious network intruders. Let’s walk you through our GDPR e-commerce checklist that helps online retailers understand the importance of GDPR and what rules and regulations they should familiarize themselves and their IT teams with.

A website is like the cover of a book. The first thing a customer searches for is a company homepage and, like a book, if it is eye-catching, it warrants further investigation. For this reason, many companies invest heavily in website development, seeking to make their site clean, easily navigable, and, above all, able to capture and retain the attention of potential customers.

 However, in the process of developing a stellar website, security can sometimes be overlooked, particularly when it comes to complying with new privacy, consent, and transparency standards. 

Is your website compliant with General Data Protection Regulation Standards? Find out now with our GDPR website checklist.