If there is one thing that everyone has a responsibility to do, it is to protect the personal data of all of their customers and anyone their business does contact with. Whether you work for a huge corporation or you are a sole trader, this is something you cannot ignore.
With the world becoming more and more digital, and there being more communication channels before, this is something you cannot afford to ignore.
So, no whether you dream of being a top marketing consultant or you are currently applying for job listings for RV technicians, being data-savvy can give you a much bigger advantage than you may realize.
Below, we will look at some main areas of consideration when it comes to data protection, especially pertaining to today’s online social media environment.
B2B vs B2C data
It is important to note that the GDPR is only applicable to personal data relating to an individual. It does not apply to business information.
Nevertheless, the contact details of people working for a certain business or organization fall within the definition of personal data. Therefore, you cannot share an employee’s name, email address, phone number, or social media account.
The only exception is when there is a generic email address that is manned by different members of staff. For example, email addresses that start with “sales@” or “customerservice@”.
If the person’s details fall within the GDPR’s personal data definition, you must continue to act in accordance with this.
Some things that are not considered personal data with regard to B2B information include postal addresses for the business itself, financial figures, and the number of people working for the company.
Linking your social media channels
You may be wondering whether or not you are allowed to link your social media channels via your website or email under GDPR. The good news is that you can. You will still be able to link your social media accounts so that people can easily connect with them via your email messages or your website.
Nevertheless, you do need to make sure that there is a section in your data privacy notice that explains how you will use the social media contact data that you collect.
Businesses also need to make sure that they implement an internal social media policy. This policy is designed to inform members of your business how to go about using and responding to social media-sourced personal data.
Retargeting ads on social media
Next, we are going to take a look at retargeting ads on social media platforms, which gives you the ability to show your adverts to those who have already visited your site.
With this approach, a pixel is put onto your site, which visitors cannot see. It places a unique cookie in the user’s browser, which enables them to be identified as having been on your website before.
You need to get consent to utilize these sorts of cookies, as per the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. You also need to make certain that your consent for using retargeting cookies meets the GDPR standard of content.
Cybersecurity measures all businesses need to have in place
Cybersecurity is something all businesses need to take seriously. It seems a day does not go by without news of a data breach. If your business is breached because of poor security, you could find yourself facing huge fines.
At a basic level, you must make sure you are doing the following:
You need to have an anti-virus software solution installed on every single device that is connected to the Internet and used by your team.
You need to put measures in place to make sure that your network is secure, from firewalls and encryption to network segregation and two-factor authentication.
All CRM and systems where personal information is stored must have password protection and another form of protection as well. Multi-factor authentication is a necessity.
Storing all customer or client personal data must be secured and encrypted.
If you do not have experience in cybersecurity, it makes sense to work with a professional security firm that can carry out a test to determine your vulnerabilities and put methods in place to fix them.
Final words on social media and data protection
So there you have it: everything that you need to know about protecting online data. We hope that the information that we have supplied you within this blog post will give you a better understanding of what is expected when it comes to handling social media data in a safe and secure manner.