November 18, 2018,  Guru in a Bottle  No comments

The integrity and protection of personal data is a massive business continuity, risk and technology issue for companies around the world in sectors such as healthcare and banking.

And there’s also a double-whammy.

Organizations must comply with higher global standards in data protection, privacy and security brought about by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other comparable data protection laws and regulations starting to emerge in other countries such as Brazil, California, Dubai, India and Singapore.

A simple explanation of blockchain

Blockchain is a distributed database that exists on multiple computers (or nodes) all at the same time...

May 3, 2016,  Guru in a Bottle  No comments

Under Section 166, Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the FCA has the power to order an independent “skilled persons report” that focus on specific issues that have been identified by the FCA as requiring investigation at the regulated firm.

July 12, 2015,  data protection, EU General Data Protection Regulation, European Commission, European Parliament, Legal update  No comments

It’s no exaggeration to claim but when the history of data protection and privacy is written 10 years from now, one company will be credited with having had the most influence over the shape of data protection and privacy across the European Union (EU).

And it’s Google.

No week goes past without some reference to one of the most powerful digital companies on the planet. And this week just gone has been no exception.

On Thursday 9 July, Google was forced to revise its privacy policy after the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) threatened to fine company €15m. Google will now have to seek new users’ permission to combine their personal data throughout its services...

June 9, 2015,  European Commission, European Parliament, Guru in a Bottle, Legal update  No comments

The clock is ticking for reaching agreement on the EU General Data Protection Regulation, according to the European People’s Party (EPP) Group that brings together centre and centre-right pro-European political forces from the Member States and represents the largest group in the European Parliament.

Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 June 2015

The Council of Ministers will meet in Luxembourg to agree the adoption of a general approach to GDPR.

In effect, the Council will declare its own view on the preferred draft for GDPR and GDPR watchers the world over will be able to compare and contrast the various differences that will exist between this version and the one favoured by the Eur...

June 9, 2015,  Banks, Council of Ministers, data protection, EU General Data Protection Regulation, European Commission, European Parliament  No comments

According to Varonis (Nasdaq:VRNS), a leading provider of software solutions for unstructured, human-generated enterprise data, banks will be among the first to be hit with massive fines for falling foul of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In a poll conducted at Cebit – Europe’s largest IT show – the company revealed the level of how unprepared the financial services sector is to life under GDPR. Notably, 50% of all respondents that took part in the survey worked within the European banking sector.

According to Varonis, despite the small sample size of 145 respondents, its survey reflects a much wide degree of how under prepared the financial servic...

April 10, 2015,  Legal update  No comments

While the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements have yet to be finalised, 20 years of European jurisprudence is a strong indication of the direction of travel where the supervisory authorities are going to clamp down hard on those organisations and their outsourcing providers that violate the new minimum standards for data protection.

And if you’re in any doubt how hard this will impact the telecoms sector, then you should look no further than what’s just happened to AT&T earlier this week in the US to get a taste of what we can expect to see here in the EU in the wake of the GDPR.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reached a settlement wit...