Explained: GDPR, accountability and ISO 27001

The data these days has been contaminated, and organizations are more and more concerned. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a solution and a regulation in the European Union (EU) law on data protection and privacy in the EU and European economic area (EEA). It defines the process of transferring personal data out of the EU and EEA. GDPR is the toughest privacy and security laws in the world. GDPR is more related to protect information security for public data.

ISO 27001, on the other hand is an internationally recognised Information Security Management System that asks organisations to implement all possible strategies and solutions to mitigate their risks of a data breach of client information or sensitive corporate secrets. You can think of ISO 27001 as the best practices for staying safe online, while GDPR is a strict set of laws ensuring accountability in the event an organisation was lacking adequate cyber security protocols.

Origin of GDPR

GDPR originated from the Right of Privacy law in 1950 in the European Convention on Human Rights which states, “Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence”.

As technology moves forward, the chances of privacy breaches are enormously increasing. In 1995, the EU Government passed the European Data Protection Directive, which establishes the requirement of minimum standards to protect the rights of privacy.

As per the Forbes report, GDPR requires clear consent and justification. The GDPR covers the below types of data under its regulations:

• Personally identifiable information, including names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers
• Web-based data, including user location, IP address, cookies, and RFID tags
• Health (HIPAA) and genetic data
• Biometric data
• Racial and/or ethnic data
• Political opinions
• Sexual orientation

Accountability

The GDPR states that any organisation that holds public data must be compliant with GDPR policies. It doesn’t matter if your country has them legally implemented or not. The protection of public information is the utmost duty of any organisation. For illustration, a banking system holds highly confidential information of its individuals. Loss of the same information can cause reputational and financial damage.

Privacy means people know what they’re signing up for, in plain language, and repeatedly. I believe people are smart. Some people want to share more than other people do. Ask them. – Steve Jobs

Controls for GDPR

There are certain steps one can take towards the safety of their client’s data:

• Have a designated team member responsible for data protection.
• Provide training to your staff and implement technical and organisational security measures.
• Engage legal Data Processing Agreement contracts with third parties you contract to process data for you.
• Appoint a Data Protection Officer, who will be solely looking for these issues.

GDPR and Australian legislation

In Australia, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) consists of laws that reflect the laws of the GDPR regulations.

The right to privacy gives individuals the right to exercise control over their personal information. The Privacy Act is about transparency and accountability of any organisations.

Australian organisations have already adopted measures to keep safe from the threat of data breaches. ISMS 27001 is the safest way to avoid the breach of anyone’s information.

GDPR, accountability & ISO 27001 information security

ISO 27001 describes best practices for an ISMS, a systematic approach consisting of people, processes, and technology that helps you protect and manage all your organisation’s information through risk management.
Where an organisation complies with international standards for ISO 27001, the chances of a breach are almost zero. The formation of compliance and incident plans is very strong. There are plenty of benefits where ISO 27001 could be a protective shield around your organisation.

The key benefits of implementing an ISMS

• Secures your information in all its forms.
• Provides a centrally managed framework.
• Helps respond to evolving security threats.
• Protects the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of data.

At Citation Certification, the ability to reduce and review risks with constantly evolving data security threats is key. We are passionate and excited about helping customers not only get certified but seeing them become more profitable, safe, and efficient.