GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is eU regulation governing data protection and privacy for individuals within the European Union.
GDPR (effective 2018) requires explicit consent for data collection, right to access/delete, breach notification within 72 hours, and Data Protection Officers. Fines up to €20M or 4% of revenue. Applies to any company processing EU resident data, regardless of location. By 2026, similar laws (CCPA, LGPD, PIPEDA) make global GDPR-style compliance the default.
GDPR set a global baseline for how personal data is collected, stored and processed. Many other regulations now follow its shape, so building for GDPR also prepares you for the broader trend.
A SaaS company adds clear consent banners, a data-export tool, and a deletion request workflow for users in the EU. Marketing data flows now require an explicit lawful basis, and customer support can fulfil "right to be forgotten" requests in days, not weeks.
GDPR applies based on where users are, not where the company is. A US company with EU users falls under GDPR for those users; "we are not based in Europe" is not a defence.
Treat the data inventory as the foundation; you cannot honor user rights or breach notifications if you do not know what personal data you hold and where.
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) falls under the Security category.
These tools put gdpr into practice. Compare features, pricing, and ratings:
Now that you understand GDPR, explore the best tools in this category.