{"id":2534,"date":"2022-03-06T21:31:42","date_gmt":"2022-03-06T21:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uk.legalvision.com.au\/?p=2534"},"modified":"2024-05-17T04:05:17","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T03:05:17","slug":"personal-data-e-commerce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/ecommerce-online-business\/personal-data-e-commerce\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Handle Personal Data as an E-Commerce Business in England and Wales"},"content":{"rendered":"

As an e-commerce business, you must handle your customers\u2019 personal data<\/a> securely. This is the case even if you only work with a few clients. Indeed, after the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)<\/a> came into effect in 2018, businesses in England and Wales faced greater restrictions to protect the information they collect from their customers. Under the GDPR, you can face fines of up to \u00a317.5 million if you mishandle personal information. Therefore, you need to ensure you are correctly handling and storing personal data. This article will provide several tips on how your e-commerce business should handle personal data and stay GDPR compliant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is GDPR Compliance?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The main role of GDPR is to impose greater restrictions on businesses to better safeguard how they use and collect personal data. Indeed, as an e-commerce business, you will find yourself collecting and acquiring a range of information about your customers in the day-to-day operations of your business. This is known as processing data<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You must ensure you handle your customers\u2019 information correctly, from home addresses to bank details, to ensure you do not breach GDPR. There are several ways to ensure you are handling personal information correctly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Register with the Information Commissioner\u2019s Office<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Information Commissioner\u2019s Office (ICO) is responsible for policing data protection regulation in England and Wales. Any organisation that holds or processes personal data must register with the ICO and pay a data protection fee each year. If you are unsure whether you should register with the ICO, you can take their <\/span>self-assessment questionnaire<\/span><\/a>. By doing this questionnaire, you should be able to determine whether you need to register with the regulator.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Generally, as an e-commerce business, you will need to register with the ICO if your business collects and uses\u00a0<\/span>customer names and shipping addresses. Additionally, collecting customer email addresses and phone numbers will require registration. Moreover, you will need ICO registration if you collect payment details and banking information. Finally, if you collect location data or cookies, you will need to register with the ICO.<\/p>\n

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A failure to register with the ICO is against the law and can result in fines of up to \u00a34,000.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Additionally, while many businesses question the need to be registered with the ICO, being registered is a great way for your business to show that you are a reputable organisation that adequately safeguards its customers\u2019 personal information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n Continue reading this article below the form\n <\/i>\n<\/a>\n

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