What is GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a comprehensive data protection law enacted by the European Union in May 2018. It applies to any organization that processes personal data of EU residents, regardless of where the organization is based. Non-compliance can result in fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher.

Who Needs to Comply with GDPR?

GDPR compliance is required if your organization:

Is established in the EU
Offers goods or services to EU residents
Monitors the behavior of EU residents
Processes personal data of EU residents

This means that even if your business is based in the United States or any other country, you must comply with GDPR if you have EU visitors or customers.

GDPR Compliance Checklist

Create a comprehensive Privacy Policy
Implement cookie consent mechanism
Document your data processing activities
Establish lawful basis for data processing
Implement data subject rights procedures
Appoint a Data Protection Officer (if required)
Conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments
Set up data breach notification procedures
Review third-party data processors
Implement data security measures

1. Create a Comprehensive Privacy Policy

Under GDPR, you must provide clear and transparent information about how you collect, use, and protect personal data. Your privacy policy must include:

Identity and contact details of the data controller
Types of personal data collected
Purposes and legal basis for processing
Data retention periods
Third parties with whom data is shared
Data subject rights and how to exercise them
Information about international data transfers

2. Implement Cookie Consent

GDPR requires explicit consent before placing non-essential cookies on users' devices. Your cookie consent mechanism must:

Be displayed before any cookies are set
Allow users to accept or reject different cookie categories
Not use pre-ticked boxes
Be as easy to reject as to accept
Keep records of consent

3. Establish Lawful Basis for Processing

GDPR requires a lawful basis for processing personal data. The six lawful bases are:

Consent: The individual has given clear consent
Contract: Processing is necessary for a contract
Legal obligation: Required by law
Vital interests: To protect someone's life
Public task: For official functions or public interest
Legitimate interests: For your legitimate business interests

4. Data Subject Rights

GDPR grants individuals several rights regarding their personal data. You must implement procedures to handle requests for:

Right to access: Provide copies of their data
Right to rectification: Correct inaccurate data
Right to erasure: Delete their data ("right to be forgotten")
Right to restrict processing: Limit how you use their data
Right to data portability: Transfer data to another service
Right to object: Object to certain processing activities

5. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach, GDPR requires you to:

Notify the supervisory authority within 72 hours (if there's a risk to individuals)
Notify affected individuals without undue delay (if there's a high risk)
Document all breaches, including their effects and remedial actions

6. Data Protection by Design and Default

GDPR requires you to integrate data protection into your systems and processes from the start. This means:

Collecting only the data you actually need
Implementing appropriate security measures
Limiting access to personal data
Setting privacy-friendly default settings

Common GDPR Mistakes to Avoid

Using pre-ticked consent boxes
Bundling consent with terms and conditions
Not providing a clear way to withdraw consent
Failing to document your data processing activities
Ignoring data subject access requests
Not updating your privacy policy when practices change

Next Steps

Achieving GDPR compliance may seem overwhelming, but you can start with the basics: create a comprehensive privacy policy, implement cookie consent, and establish procedures for handling data subject requests.

GDPR Compliance Checklist 2026: Complete Guide for Websites