what is the general data protection regulation gdpr 
the general data protection regulation gdpr is a legal framework that sets guidelines for the collection and processing of personal information from individuals who live in and outside of the european union eu approved in 2016 and put into effect in 2018 the gdpr is the toughest security and privacy law in the world it aims to give consumers control over their own personal data by holding companies responsible for the way they handle and treat this information 1the regulation applies regardless of where websites are based which means it must be heeded by all sites that attract european visitors even if they don t specifically market goods or services to eu residents understanding the general data protection regulation gdpr the general data protection regulation gdpr is a law that was approved by the european union in april 2016 and went into effect on may 25 2018 2it replaced an earlier law the data protection directive and was set up to regulate the way companies process and use the personal data they collect from consumers online it also has rules in the way that information is moved whether that s partly or entirely through automated means the law makes it difficult for companies to mislead consumers with confusing or vague language when they visit their websites it also ensures these requirements may be more stringent than those required in the jurisdiction in which the site is located information on how to contact the dpo and other relevant staffers must be accessible so that visitors may exercise their eu data rights which also includes the ability to have their presence on the site erased among other measures the site must also add staff and other resources to be capable of carrying out such requests 6the requirement of an agree button largely explains the ubiquitous presence of disclosures that sites collect cookies which are small files that hold personal information such as site settings and preferences special considerationsas further protection for consumers the gdpr also calls for any personally identifiable information pii that sites collect to be either anonymized rendered anonymous or pseudonymized with the consumer s identity replaced with a pseudonym 7this allows firms to do more extensive data analysis such as assessing the average debt ratios of their customers in a particular region a calculation that might otherwise be beyond the original purposes of data collected for assessing creditworthiness for a loan the regulation applies to all 27 members of the eu and the european economic area eea regardless of where websites and residents are based as such it must be heeded by all sites that attract european visitors even if they don t specifically market goods or services to eu residents so the regulation applies to the data of an eu citizen even if it is housed in the u s similarly a u s citizen who resides in the eu is covered whenever they visit sites based in the union the gdpr affects data beyond that collected from customers most notably perhaps the regulation applies to the human resources records of employees 2criticism of the gdprthe gdpr has attracted criticism in some quarters some say that the requirement to appoint dpos or simply to assess the need for them imposes an undue administrative burden on certain companies some complain that the guidelines are too vague on how best to deal with employee data in addition data cannot be transferred to another country outside the eu unless the receiving company guarantees the same degree of protection as the eu requires this has led to complaints about costly disruption to business practices there s a further concern that the costs associated with gdpr will increase over time in part because of the escalating need to educate customers and employees alike about data protection threats and solutions there s also skepticism over how feasibly data protection agencies across the eu and beyond can align their enforcement and interpretation of the regulations and so assure a level playing field as the gdpr goes into fuller effect 