UK SMEs are risking fines for serious breaches of GDPR principles.
Research from business intelligence consultancy, Catalyst BI, has found that 18% of organisations processing personal data struggle to understand ICO regulatory guidance.
The UK Business Data Survey also revealed that a combined 21% of SMEs found it difficult to understand regulatory guidance published by the ICO.
Becky Stables, Data Management Expert at Catalyst BI, said: “Some businesses, particularly small ones, may not fully understand the regulations or might mistakenly believe that GDPR does not apply to them because the UK left the EU. However, the UK has its version, known as the UK GDPR, which has similar rules.”
Common mistakes SMEs make: retaining unnecessary data; failing to renew ICO registration; not properly complying with Subject Access Request; emailing sensitive information to the wrong person and opening suspicious links and attachments.