What does stands for GDPR stand for?

You’ve probably heard the four letters before: GDPR. They pop up in cookie banners, at the bottom of newsletters and in every conversation about online privacy. But what do they actually stand for?

The answer is quite simple:

GDPR is an abbreviation for General Data Protection Regulation.

In Danish we call it Databeskyttelsesforordningen.

So what is GDPR exactly?

GDPR is an EU law that came into force on May 25, 2018. Its main purpose is to give EU citizens more control over their own personal data.

Essentially, it’s a set of rules that tells companies and organizations exactly how they should (and especially what not to) collect, use and store personal personal data.

What is “personal data”?

Personal data is any information that can be used to identify you as an individual. It’s more than just your name. It includes things like:

• Your name and address

• Your email address (e.g. fornavn.efternavn@firma.dk)

• Your CPR number

• Your IP address (the unique “address” your computer has on the internet)

• Location data (where your phone is located)

• Biometric data (like fingerprints or facial recognition)

• Information about your health or political beliefs

Why is GDPR important to you?

Because it is your data. Before GDPR, companies were largely free to collect and use your data as they pleased, often for marketing or resale, without you having much say.

GDPR gives you rights:

• Right of access: You have the right to ask any company, “What information do you have about me?” – and they must answer you.

• The right to be forgotten: You have the right to say: “Please delete everything you have about me” (with some exceptions, for example, if accounting law requires them to save an invoice).

• Right to data portability: You have the right to receive your data in a format that allows you to move it to another provider.

• Consent requirement: A company can’t just send you newsletters or use your data however they want. They must have your clear and active consent. That’s why you no longer see boxes that are “pre-ticked”.

What does this mean for businesses?

For companies, the GDPR primarily means responsibility. They must have a lawful basis for all the data they process. They must take exceptional care of your data (data security) and not store it longer than necessary (data minimization).

And if they don’t follow the rules? Then the hammer falls hard. The regulators (in Denmark it’s The Danish Data Protection Agency) can issue massive fines of up to 4% of a company’s global annual turnover.

So when you see “GDPR”, think: This is the law that protects my personal information online.

Grape’s GDPR Course (Danish or English, approx. 30 min, 7 modules) makes it it easy to raise the level and document efforts in audits.