Amid confusion, EU data privacy law goes into effect
LONDON — Lars Andersen’s business handles some of the most sensitive data there is — the names and phone numbers of children.
The owner of London-based My Nametags, which makes personalized nametags to iron into children’s clothing, says protecting that information is fundamental to his business, which operates in 130 countries.
But starting Friday, My Nametags and most other companies that collect or process the personal information of EU residents must take a number of extra precautions to comply with the new General Data Protection Regulation, which the EU calls the most sweeping change in data protection rules in a generation.
While the legislation has been applauded for tackling the thorny question of personal data privacy, the rollout is also causing confusion. Companies are trying to understand what level of protection different data needs, whether this could force them to change the way they do business and innovate, and how to manage the EU’s 28 national data regulators, who enforce the law.