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The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) is the fundamental data protection law in the United Kingdom. This law sits alongside the UK Data Protection Act 2018. Since nearly all businesses handle personal data, from customer details to employee records, maintaining compliance with the UK GDPR is vital and not a one-time task. Regular assessments or ‘audits’ of data protection practices are crucial to ensure compliance with data protection laws. This article will explore why your business should audit its UK GDPR compliance.
Why Are UK GDPR Audits Important?
Data protection law rules are vast in scope and fast-moving. New guidance issued by regulators, such as the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), requires adjustments to business practices. For example, businesses must update their policies and procedures if the ICO publishes new best practices for handling subject access requests. Regular audits can identify areas where your current practices may not meet the latest regulatory requirements.
UK GDPR compliance is an ongoing requirement. As businesses evolve, so does their use of personal data. Regular audits help to ensure continued compliance. For instance, a company might grow tremendously over time. From the start-up stage, it may expand to employ numerous staff, win thousands of customers and open global offices.
As such, the business must revisit its compliance efforts regularly to ensure its data practices comply with data protection laws. Audits can help to identify areas where new policies and procedures are required to maintain compliance with UK data protection law rules.
How Can UK GDPR Audits Benefit Your Business?
Regular UK GDPR audits offer businesses various benefits. The essential purpose of an audit is to review a company’s data processing practices and determine which UK GDPR rules apply to it, identifying any critical gaps to address. This process can also include reviewing and updating a company’s data privacy policies and procedures.
We explore some of the key benefits below.
Audits Allow Proactive Data Protection Risk Management
Audits can protect your business from risk, identifying areas of non-compliance before data breaches or regulatory penalties occur. Prompt rectification of non-compliance through an audit will minimise the risk of possible problem issues such as scrutiny, costly fines, and reputational damage. This proactive approach can also help businesses avoid litigation and data subject access requests. For instance, an audit could help you identify various risks and vulnerabilities in your industry. For example, if you need to improve your practices around handling data breaches or responding to subject access requests, you can do so by following the audit.
Audits Can Help You Update Your Data Practices and Policies
Audits ensure data protection policies and procedures remain current with the latest data protection law requirements. This demonstrates a commitment to ongoing compliance and reduces the likelihood of falling short of UK GDPR compliance.
This factsheet sets out how your business can become GDPR compliant.
Further, regular audits provide opportunities to assess the effectiveness of data protection practices. Identifying areas for improvement allows businesses to refine data handling processes and strengthen their overall data protection strategy.
For instance, an audit can allow your business to see what it can do better. Can you improve your data security measures to prevent data breaches? Can you improve the language in your privacy notices so individuals can understand them better? Auditing your business, documents, and procedures offers room for improvement.
Audits Help Demonstrate Accountability
Regular audits can demonstrate an organisation’s accountability to data protection principles and commitment to protecting personal information. This builds trust and confidence with customers, partners, and regulators.
A vital principle of the UK GDPR rules is demonstrating accountability. By carrying out audits and documenting your audit process, findings, and outcomes, your business can showcase its commitment to compliance with the legal rules. This can also keep customers happy by showing that you are continually reviewing and updating your compliance and committing to data protection laws.
In the event of problem issues such as a regulatory investigation, an audit could be a mitigating factor, showing that you have prioritised UK GDPR compliance.
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How Can Legal Advice Support Your Audits?
While regular audits are a valuable tool, consulting with a data protection lawyer specialist is highly recommended. This legal support can assist you in developing a comprehensive audit plan tailored to your business needs and ensure effective audit conduct.
Keeping in touch with a lawyer can also help with the audit process, as a lawyer can recommend trigger events for an audit.
Key Takeaways
Regular UK GDPR audits are essential for businesses to proactively manage data protection risks and ensure ongoing compliance with fast-moving data protection legal rules. By adopting a proactive approach through regular audits, companies can identify and address areas of non-compliance, enhance data protection practices, and demonstrate accountability. Regular audits can help your business minimise legal risks, build trust and strengthen customer relationships. Working with a lawyer specialising in data protection law can help you understand the scope of your audit obligations and run audits smoothly and effectively.
If you need help with audits to assess your current compliance with the UK GDPR, LegalVision’s experienced Data, Privacy, and IT lawyers can assist as part of our LegalVision membership. For a low monthly fee, you will have unlimited access to lawyers to answer your questions and draft and review your documents. Call us today on 0808 196 8584 or visit our membership page.
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