How are companies outside of Europe affected by the GDPR?
The Answer
On May 25, the new European Union Data Protection Regulation, better known as GDPR for its acronym in English, or RGDP, comes into force. How does this regulation affect companies operating outside the EU?
The General Data Protection Regulation (RGPD) is a regulation regarding the processing of personal data and the free circulation of such data that will enter into force on May 25 throughout the territory of the European Union. This law will affect the way in which companies collect, store, manage or process the personal data of users in that area.
However, even though it is an EU regulation, the GDPR is mandatory for any company or individual that manages user data in its territory. That is, it not only applies to organizations or companies established in the European Union, but to all those that offer products and services to users in the EU, or analyze their behavior, regardless of their location.
Therefore, if your website or online store is in Latin America, or in any other location outside the European Union, you may also have to comply with the regulations. Especially if you have users or clients from the EU and you are saving their data.