GDPR Essentials Online Training Course

The Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA18) is a data protection law that governs the use of data in the UK. The DPA18 writes the EU GDPR into UK Law, after Brexit this part of the law is now referred to as UK GDPR. Many sections are copied word for word. But there are some differences that you need to be aware of if you are based in the UK or are processing the personal data of UK citizens.

Lower-tier violations can lead to a fine of up to £8.7 million or 2% of the organisation’s worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher. More serious violations can lead to a fine of up to £17.5 million or 4% of the organisation’s worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher. The tier applied depends on what provisions of UK GDPR have been breached.

There are two tiers of fines under EU GDPR. The upper maximum, allows fines of upto 20 million Euros or 4% of the total annual worldwide turnover in the preceding financial year, whichever is higher. The standard maximum, allows fines of upto 10 million Euros (or equivalent in sterling) or 2% of the total annual worldwide turnover in the preceding financial year, whichever is higher. The tier applied depends on what provisions of EU GDPR have been breached.

Local enforcement agencies exist in each country of the EEA(European Economic Area) and in the UK. For example in the UK, it’s the ICO, in France it’s the CNIL, in Spain it’s the AEPD. These are public bodies that work independently of the state. These agencies are required to enforce the application of GDPR and provide assistance to individuals and organisations to ensure that data subjects’ rights are upheld. These agencies lead investigations into non-compliance, they have the power to audit organisations data practices and have the power to issue fines for non-compliance.

The definition of personal data under the GDPR is broad. In Art. 4 (1). of the GDPR, Personal data is defined as any information related to an identified or identifiable natural person. It does not matter if it is not possible to fully identify the individual solely from the personal data concerned. If the personal data can be combined with other data to identify an individual then it still must be afforded protections under GDPR. Some examples of personal data could include a name, email address, date of birth, bank account details, ID card number, location history or metadata such as the time of access to a specific service or product.

GDPR affects any organisation processing the personal data of EU residents (EU GDPR) or UK residents (UK GDPR). An organisation could be a sole trader, a registered business, a non-profit/charity or a club/membership organisation. Only natural persons processing data for non-commercial means would be exempt, or the processing of data by non-automated means which was not intended to be stored in a filing system later. For example, an individual storing their friend’s mobile number in their mobile phone would not be subject to GDPR. Neither would a Barista writing your name on a coffee cup. However, an individual working for a company, storing a client’s mobile phone number in a database would be. Similarly, an individual running a group class at a non-profit community centre who stores attendance lists containing personal data such as names and contact details would be subject to GDPR. The scope is wide.

Yes. There are no “b2b” exemption under GDPR. Even if you are processing data about your suppliers, customers or competitors, for example the names and email address of senior managers that work in these organisations – you still need to afford that data GDPR level protections.

The ICO recognises there are many different ways to make employees aware of their responsibilities with personal data under GDPR. They generally suggest a multi layered approach, a mixture of training and reminders (for example email updates, posters or other notices) to communicate with employees about GDPR. They recommend GDPR training as part of their accountability framework. Specifically the accountability framework recommends induction and refresher training for all staff that process personal data. And specialised training for staff with key data protection responsibilities (such as DPOs, subject access and records management teams).

Our free GDPR course covers very basic GDPR content. It is not recommended for organisations to use the free course for awareness training because some knowledge gaps will exist. The free GDPR course is aimed towards people who are looking for an opportunity to improve their CV or who are from organisations with zero budget for GDPR training, for example companies pre-formation or non-profit groups without an official legal wrapper who may be concerned about GDPR can affect their data processing activities. The Essentials GDPR Course offered on this page is far more comprehensive than the free GDPR course. It features more real-life examples and goes into further detail on some of the biggest compliance risks.