The European Union (EU) is very serious about consumer privacy and protecting their citizen’s personal information, evident by the passage of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR has been in effect for over 3 years, and we are witnessing EU member states not shying away from imposing heavy fines for any violations. 

Most recent, WhatsApp was in the news for a GDPR violation resulting in a significant fine for 225 million EUROs. Just months before, Luxembourg data protection supervisory authority fined Amazon for 746 million Euros. This fine also was accompanied by a request to change certain business practices relating to how Amazon was using consumer data processing.  

These fines are astronomical, we have never seen anything rivaling these in history. The heavy enforcement against big tech companies shows the data protection authorities are not afraid to penalize prominent organizations.  

We are seeing many countries strengthening their consumer privacy frameworks through amendments, new legislation, updated guidelines, and enforcement changes. High penalties and tough GDPR enforcement may lead to other enforcement agencies tightening the reins and imposing higher fines.  

Large organizations like WhatsApp and Amazon can weather the storm of these astronomical fines, but could your business? Do you need help reviewing your privacy compliance plans for any potential gaps? If so, give 2W Tech a call today. We are a technology service provider specializing in solutions for the manufacturing industry. Let our IT Consultants help you meet your compliance guidelines. 

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