Revealed: the top five GDPR compliance failings in UK

The top five GDPR failings have been revealed in a new study which claims to lift the lid on the areas of the new regulation – which has been in force since May 25 – businesses are struggling to cope with.
According to a survey of 1,021 UK workers carried out by digital marketing agency MarketingSignals.com, more than 1 in 3 businesses (37%) confess they are still not following GDPR, although this would appear to be a marked improvement on a separate study released last month which claimed only 20% of firms were compliant.
When quizzed on the ways businesses are not following this regulation, the top five failings were:
– 35% said they are still sending marketing emails without the expressed consent.
– 31% revealed they still have the data of those who haven’t agreed to opt in to having their data stored.
– More than 1 in 5 (27%) revealed that they haven’t secured the data in case of a ransomware attack.
– A further 22% said they have a longer process for those choosing to opt out from receiving information.
– Hidden privacy-friendly choices (14%) rounded off the list of the top five ways businesses are still not GDPR compliant.
MarketingSignals.com managing director Gareth Hoyle said: “The research shows there are many ways that businesses are admitting to not following the newly enforced GDPR. The regulation is the most fundamental change to ever happen to data privacy, so it is imperative that businesses follow this and complete the process as soon as possible.
“Businesses need to understand that acting responsibly and ethically with customer data is crucial to protect and enhance brand reputation and ensure customer trust. Not only this, but it will enhance the quality of data collected which is a good thing for UK businesses.”
Surprisingly, 17% admitted they are still unsure as to what the benefits of being GDPR compliant are.
According to the survey, those working in technology were revealed as the worst culprits when it comes to GDPR compliance with 42%, followed by those within the retail sector (26%).