New Rules For Collecting Inbound Leads And Data From EU Citizens

Posted by David Terry on September 21, 2017

If you collect website Inbound leads and data from individuals located in the EU,  you will need to take note of this new European Union legislation that will impact any business that markets to the EU.

The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a new EU Regulation that will replace the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive (DPD) and it will significantly enhance the protection of personal data for all EU citizens.

It will come into force on 25th May 2018. The regulation builds on many of the 1995 Directive’s Requirements for data privacy and security, but includes several new provisions to bolster the rights of data subjects and add harsher penalties for violations.

Does the GDPR apply to you?

While the current legislation, the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive, governs entities within the EU, the territorial scope of the GDPR is far wider, in that it will also apply to non-EU businesses who market their products and services to people in the EU or who monitor the behavior of people in the EU.

In other words, even if you’re based outside of the EU but you handle, control or process the data of EU citizens, the GDPR will apply to you.

What you need to do

This legislation is strict, but it reflects industry best practices (similar to the CASL anti-Spam legislation in Canada). You will need to acknowledge the new GDPR legislation being introduced if you're doing Inbound Marketing and having forms filled out by EU citizens. We recommend you do your homework, get up to speed with all the information available, follow the instructions to become compliant and get the legal help you need to ensure compliance.

The good news is that if you use the HubSpot marketing automation platform, their technology will enable you to be compliant as the way HubSpot CRM stores data makes it secure and stable.

Therefore, marketing activity compliance will come down to how you conduct your day-to-day Inbound Marketing activities. And as I said before, if you follow best practices - you're probably going to be okay - but we recommend you get a lawyer to help you get protected.

To help understand GDPR more and how it will impact Inbound Marketers like you, HubSpot just launched a dedicated section on GDPR and data EU privacy on HubSpot.com to clarify how Hubspot will become compliant with its technology and platform when the regulation comes into effect - or you can review this helpful GDPR Compliance Check List.

(Brit Agency Disclaimer: This is generic information only and does not constitute legally binding advice, nor is it complete with all the GDPR details and how it will pertain to your specific circumstances.) 

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THE BRIT AGENCY is a B2B Inbound Marketing Agency providing Inbound Marketing, Inbound Website Design and Inbound Sales services to companies around the world. We're focused on growing website traffic, qualified leads and sales, using the Inbound lead generation and marketing automation process.

THE BRIT AGENCY is a Certified Platinum Tier Hubspot Partner, a HubSpot COS and GDD certified Inbound Website Design Agency, a Shopify eCommerce Partner, and a certified "Google Badged Agency Partner". We have offices in Toronto and Barrie, Canada, and Salisbury, UK.

 

Topics: Inbound Marketing