56
PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF ILTA | SPRING 2017
A Consistent Approach
In late 2015, aer years of debate among industry, academic, human rights and political leaders, the Council
and Parliament of the EU agreed on a revised framework for the protection of personal data belonging to
EU residents. This new framework, the GDPR (Regulation 2016/679), ushers in a more consistent approach
to enabling digital commerce and enforcing effective personal data protection practices for organizations
doing business in the EU, including law firms and other service organizations.
The GDPR replaces the Data Protection Directive (Regulation 95/46/EC), enacted in 1995. As the
complexity and distribution of global digital commerce increased in the years following the Directive's
enactment, critics began to express concerns about its weaknesses. Foremost was that the Directive did
Following the recent enactment by the European Union (EU) of the General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR), law firms providing services to EU residents may
be faced with new compliance requirements ahead of the 2018 effective date.
Technology leaders need to ensure that their firm's data privacy and security
controls meet the GDPR's stringent requirements and that they have a clear plan to
meet the approaching deadline.
by Adam Stone
Preparing for the
General Data
Protection Regulation
