Maybe you’ve been receiving notifications from your social media accounts and email newsletters you subscribe to saying they are updating their policies. Have you wondered what is going on and why so many companies seem to be changing these policies now? It is all because of a new EU regulation for data protection that goes into effect later this month.
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and was designed to harmonize data privacy laws across Europe, to protect and empower all EU citizens data privacy and to reshape the way organizations across the region approach data privacy. (EUGDPR.org)
What has the school done to make sure they comply with these new regulations? Here are the key changes that will help keep data protection a top priority at the FIS:
- The school has a Data Protection Officer
- The school has run an audit of the systems we used and how we collect data to make sure all these systems and providers comply with the new GDPR. Additionally, this information about the systems we use, what data is stored, and where it is stored will be made available to the FIS community before the end of the school year.
- Our consent forms are being updated to include information about your personal data and make sure they are in alignment with the GDPR.
- Where feasible, the school continues to opt to store data locally rather than with another provider to maintain maximum control.
- The subscription to our newsletter is based on the so-called Double-Opt-in-method, which means that you’ll receive an email with a confirmation link. Only clicking this link will activate the subscription. This ensures that nobody other than you can sign up with your email address. The full newsletter privacy statement can be read here.
- Our website also has a privacy policy found here, which includes how personal data is processed. This policy has been updated to include all necessary information to comply with the GDPR like data transfer, deletion of data, and contact information of our Data Protection Officer.
We take the care of the personal data our community has entrusted to us very seriously. Staff will continue to receive guidance on how to comply with these regulations knowing this is essential to build a safe and caring learning environment.
Allen Lindblad
Director of Educational Technology
