I was chatting to an expert on the forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation  (GDPR) recently and she almost made me spill my coffee with alarm. 

“It’s good practice for companies to adopt a clear desk policy,” she said. “Imagine what the cleaners might see on people’s desks after the office has closed.”

It strikes me as being near impossible, while working in a large media group, where we handle so many page proofs, supplements, newspapers and reports every day. However, even as I write this from my not exactly clear desk, I do understand the principle – everyone has to take responsibility for personal data. 

Complacency is not an option – the GDPR is going to refocus all organisations’ attention on how they gather and use data in the future. And rightly so – I look forward to telling cold-calling PPI claim farmers that I withdraw my consent for them to contact me. I will no longer be bothered by the AM100 dealer group that still occasionally texts and emails me about its ‘exclusive VIP sales events’ since I once booked a car service with it (which I later cancelled). In return, I am confident it will improve the return on the group’s marketing investment – I would imagine I am one of many who will have to come off its database.

In the long run, the GDPR could benefit all parties.

Do you need to know even more about the GDPR? On February 22, AM is holding its first Data Protection Conference in Milton Keynes, which will give you a comprehensive, practical update on the GDPR just three months before the regulation comes into effect. Keep an eye on AM-online.com for more details.