The rapid rise of internet marketing means many data protection laws are no longer fit for purpose. The very definition of personal data has changed beyond recognition, leading to increased focus on consumer privacy. Now, governments around the world are responding with new legislation:
- In the US, the early example set by California and Virginia is being followed by no fewer than 16 active bills in other states.
- In Europe, GDPR has just turned three, but Eprivacy – which governs email marketing – is still playing catch-up, with a new version due in 2022.
- Independently of this, the German parliament has adopted a new law regulating data protection and privacy in telecommunications and telemedia.
- Meanwhile, their British counterparts are talking about scrapping existing UK data protection rules, branding GDPR “prescriptive and inflexible!”
- In Brazil, LGPD is about to get a lot more interesting, with enforcement of penalties starting in August 2021.
- In Australia, the recently amended Spam Regulations 2021 Act now creates higher standards for email opt-outs.
- Even in China, sometimes seen as the wild west of privacy, the government is drafting a Personal Information Protection Law, which looks quite a lot like GDPR.
If you work for an international business with customers located around the world, your head might be spinning! All these developments (plus many more we haven’t listed!) have direct implications for the personal data you hold for your customers, as well as for the marketing communications you send them. The eye-watering potential fines mean it’s no longer best practice – it’s business critical.
Fortunately, we’ve got your backs. Our global team of email and data experts has on-the-ground visibility as these new laws are published, gaining insight into how to prepare for them and the likely impact they will have. Even better is we’re compiling their expertise into a great new report that we’ll be discussing in our next edition of State of Email Live (July 07th).
We’ll be joined by special guest Karie Burt from MeritB2B. As Chief Data & Privacy Officer for a global customer data business, she is well-positioned to understand the business impact new laws can have. However, by enforcing proven best practices that deliver better marketing performance, she’s also identified them as a force for good. In her own words: “More precise targeting produces better results – who knew!”
Want to learn more? Register here to join us on a trip around the world as we review all the latest laws, and get a copy of our “hot off the presses” new report.