Europe is on the brink of a sea change in its data-protection laws. In fact, when the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) takes effect on May 25, 2018, the effects will reverberate far beyond the continent itself. The GDPR goes further than harmonizing national data-protection laws across the European Union and simplifying compliance; it also expands the reach of EU data-protection regulation and introduces important new requirements. It seeks to ensure that personal data are protected against misuse and theft and to give European Union residents control over how data relating to them are being used. Any entity that is established in the European Union or that processes the personal data of EU residents in order to offer them goods or services or to monitor their behavior—whether as customers, employees, or business partners—will be affected. Any failure to comply with the regulation could incur severe reputational damage as well as financial penalties of up to 4 percent of annual worldwide revenues (see sidebar “The GDPR: Key facts” for a synopsis of the new rules).

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