Last month the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Working Group – chaired by Professor Simon Cox – explained the progress the University is making towards GDPR compliance, click here to read this post.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on 25 May 2018 and replaces the current Data Protection Act (1998) with a significantly more robust set of regulations aimed at modernising the data protection laws in the UK to make them fit for purpose in the digital age.
The identification of personal data used in systems such as Banner and HR is straightforward and it is relatively easy to manage the compliance process.
Professor Simon Cox highlighted:
“The risk area for the University is where personal data is manipulated and stored at a Faculty, Departmental, Research or Project level – this distributed data is much harder to track and ensure compliance.”
The next stage in the compliance process is for the University to compile an Information Asset Register. This will take place over the coming weeks and will enable the University to build a complete list of which areas are storing and using personal data. Key users of personal data will be asked to complete a record detailing the assets they manage. Once this initial sweep has been assessed additional requests for information may be required.
With institutions facing fines of up to £17m for security breaches, it is vital that the University is compliant and that we are all vigilant when it comes to protecting personal data. Every one of us is responsible for making sure that we comply with the GDPR at all levels, across departments and functions.
A University GDPR SharePoint site will be launched shortly, containing a set of frequently asked questions, key contacts and background information.
The GDPR team can be contacted via [email protected]
