Steps of a GDPR Audit
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European Union law that regulates how the personal data of individuals is collected, used and protected in the EU. GDPR auditing involves assessing an organization’s processes and policies to ensure that they comply with GDPR requirements on the protection of personal data.
To conduct a GDPR audit, the following steps should be followed:
- Identify all sources of personal data that are collected, stored and used by your organization. This can include data collected through websites, contact forms, mobile applications, etc.
- Assess how this personal data is collected, stored and used. Make sure that this is done in a transparent way that respects the rights of the individual and in accordance with the purposes for which the data was collected.
- Verify that your organization has adequate policies and procedures in place for the protection of personal data, such as cybersecurity policies, procedures for handling data security incidents, and procedures for deleting personal data when it is no longer needed.
- Ensure that your organization has adequate mechanisms in place to respond to individuals’ requests to access, rectify or delete personal data.
- Verify that your organization has obtained individuals’ consent to collect, use and share their personal data when necessary.
- Make sure that your organization has implemented all appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data against unauthorized access, accidental or unlawful alteration, disclosure or accidental or unlawful destruction.
- Document all these processes and policies to demonstrate that your organization complies with the GDPR requirements on personal data protection.
It is important to mention that the GDPR audit can be carried out by an internal person or by an external firm specialized in this field. Whichever method is chosen, it is important to pay adequate attention to this process to ensure that your organization complies with GDPR requirements.