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Background for this topic.
GDPR is the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, in force since 25 May 2018. It governs the processing of personal data by organizations in the EU and, in some circumstances, organizations elsewhere that offer services to or monitor people in the EU. It sets principles and lawful bases for processing, gives individuals rights over their data, and defines duties for controllers and processors.
For security practitioners, GDPR requires risk-appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data, such as access control, encryption or pseudonymization where appropriate, resilience, and regular testing. Privacy by design and by default should shape system and data-flow decisions. A personal-data breach may require notifying the relevant supervisory authority without undue delay and, where feasible, within 72 hours of awareness; affected individuals may also need notification when the risk is high. These obligations make asset and data inventories, processor oversight, retention controls, and breach playbooks operationally important.
Political and economic motivations impel nation-state and independent hackers, while the European Union strives to keep its members secure and prepared.