A typical presentation at a breakfast meeting hosted by Midlothian and East Lothian Chamber of Commerce. This one was at The Mercat Grill at Whitecraig. Picture by Nigel Duncan Media

What does General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) mean to you?

Well, any company, big or small, will have to comply with new regulations from 25 May.

They regard the secure collection, storage and usage of personal information. Violations will be met with fines.

The legislation has been introduced to encourage companies across the European Union to think seriously about data protection.

But, be ware if you think you can ignore it as GDPR also comes with harsh penalties.

And individuals can sue you for compensation to recover both material damage and non-material damage, like distress.

Although the UK has voted to leave the European Union, UK business will still have to comply with new regulations if the data they handle is about EU citizens or has the potential to identify individuals within the EU.

Midlothian and East Lothian Chamber of Commerce focus on GDPR at their first breakfast meeting this year.

The date is Thursday, 25 January from 8am to 10am a the EH15 Restaurant at Edinburgh College. The address is 24 Milton Road East, Edinburgh.

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