Introduction -

The European data protection directive is already one of the most stringent data protection laws in the world. Europe is set to have an even more rigorous data protection law with the introduction of the new General Data Protection Regulation (the “Regulation”). The most recent indication from the European Commission is that the Regulation is intended to be finalised in the first quarter of 2015.

Key Changes -

There are number of key changes to the data protection regime under the Regulation:

1. Territorial scope – the Regulation will apply to all processing of personal data by a business operating in the European Union (EU) market, such as offering goods or services or monitoring of individuals, whether or not the business is physically based in the EU. It also applies to all data controllers and all data processors established in the EU, whether or not the processing takes place in the EU. All global businesses should, therefore, be aware of the new regime....