Glossary

GDPR

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GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a data privacy law enacted by the European Union in 2018. It governs how organizations collect, process, store, and use personal data belonging to individuals in the EU or EEA, regardless of where the organization itself is located. 

Key principles include: 

  • Consent: Clear, informed, opt-in consent is required for most forms of email marketing 
  • Transparency: Data subjects must be told what data is collected and how it will be used 
  • Right to access: Individuals can request copies of their data 
  • Right to erasure: Individuals can request deletion of their data 
  • Purpose limitation: Data must be collected for a specific reason and not reused arbitrarily 

For email senders, GDPR means: 

  • You can’t send marketing email to EU residents without explicit, documented consent 
  • Transactional emails are generally allowed if they’re directly related to a customer relationship 
  • You must honor unsubscribe requests and data access/deletion rights promptly 

Failure to comply can result in significant fines – up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher. 

 

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