Tag: covid-19

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We at Crowned know the importance of understanding data privacy laws like the EU’s GDPR and California’s CCPA. In the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, data privacy is as hot a topic as ever. Despite all the media attention to GDPR, we thought it would be helpful to drill down into GDPR in the USA, especially since most small businesses aren’t confident that they comply with GDPR rules.

With more people than ever working from home, keeping data safe and in compliance with data privacy law is more important than ever. The European Union’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), California’s CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), and Brazil’s LGPD are just the tip of the iceberg in the era of data protection. It’s important for anyone with an online presence to have a general grasp of these rules. 

Why should I care about GDPR in the USA? 

Being ahead of the curve is key here. GDPR is the headliner of the data privacy show, but we also have to be aware of the laws that have been inspired by GDPR. With the roll-out of California’s CCPA and Brazil’s LGPD this year, data privacy laws are just getting started. In the US alone, several states, including Nevada, New York, Texas, and Washington, are considering following California’s lead and passing their own data protection law. Canada and Australia have data protection laws in the works, too. So why not become GDPR compliant now to save yourself the headache in the inevitability of the deluge of GDPR-type law to-be?

If you have customers in the EU, you should care about GDPR!

GDPR impacts EU/EEA residents (data subjects) and any organization that processes personal data (data processor) of EU/EAA residents. GDPR is location-based, so it is dependent on where the data subject is located when their data is processed. Citizenship is not a factor; location is key here. 

The size of your business (aka the data processor), the number of employees, or the amount of revenue you make doesn’t matter to GDPR rules. If your business does at least one of the following, GDPR applies to you: 

  • Your business offers goods or services (even with no commercial transactions) to EU/EEA residents.
  • Your company monitors or tracks the online behavior of users inside the EU/EEA.

GDPR & COVID-19

The ICO, who regulates GDPR in the UK (where your writer dwells), has published guidelines for businesses operating in the UK which discusses the challenges faced with compliance during the pandemic.

Organizations face many data privacy challenges and with an uptick in working from home, a major rise in phishing attacks and scammer activity, and staff shortages that might make complying with data access requests difficult within the law’s rules. The UK is feeling the brunt of these challenges right now.

The ICO has stated: 

“We understand that resources, whether they are finances or people, might be diverted away from usual compliance or information governance work. We won’t penalise organisations that we know need to prioritise other areas or adapt their usual approach during this extraordinary period.

We can’t extend statutory timescales, but we will tell people through our own communications channels that they may experience understandable delays when making information rights requests during the pandemic.”

GDPR will continue to evolve over time. The European Union will keep this site updated with news of the future of GDPR. 

GDPR Bottom Line for US Companies

The long and short of it is that if you have any data subjects you serve or track (customers, readers, users, etc.) based in the EU, you must comply with GDPR. Here’s a great resource for help if you’re feeling a little astray on this front. 

These laws will continue to develop as regulators interpret how companies respond to complying with privacy legislation. Likely, we will see regulators expand the rules to wrangle companies who do their best to find loopholes. Google and Facebook are already doing just that. 

What’s Next? 

We here at Crowned believe that working toward compliance for GDPR is wise and worth it. Like so much right now, it’s hard to forecast. One thing is for sure, though– data privacy isn’t going away, and it’s best to work toward GDPR compliance ASAP. 

In our next blog, we’ll dive into a few of the details about what GDPR is and how you can work toward compliance.

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We are living through a once in 100-year pandemic right now. As our global community learns how to cope with the enormous stress that comes along with the uncertainty of these times, it’s important to connect with the world around you in more creative ways. Thankfully, there are lots of ways to explore the outside world while sheltering in place. Crowned has compiled a list of events and activities from professional, to virtual museum tours, to exercise classes and mental health resources.

We also deeply understand and empathize with the struggle of folks in industries that are suffering, and have included some ideas to support those out of work right now as well. It’s a challenging time, but we hope that our communities will come together to help one another out at least a little bit every day. Take care of each other everyone! 

You can see current updates from the CDC here.

PROFESSIONAL

  1. The Remote Work Summit
  2. Remote Future Summit
  3. Microsoft Build 2020 – Usually, an in-person event transitioned to a virtual for 2020
  4. OCP Global Summit – Open Compute Project has gone virtual for 2020
  5. THINK 2020 – IBM’s Think Digital event experience
  6. ExO World Summit – 14-16 April Connecting world-class professionals, organizations, institutions and people to transform and unlock abundance to change the world

LEISURE (FAMILY TIME)

  1. Marco Polo app – This app is fabulous and easy to use way to connect with your family and friends in a way that’s more direct and personal than traditional social media apps. (Our niece calls this “Snapchat for old people,” which we take as a huge compliment.)
  2. British Museum, London – Virtual tours of their collections
  3. San Diego Zoo live cams – Majestic animals to behold
  4. Lunch Doodles on YouTube – Fun drawings lessons for kids and families
  5. Metropolitan Opera – offering nightly streaming Free
  6. Virtual Field Trips – Each no-cost field trip comes with a companion guide with hands-on learning activities.
  7. Netflix Watch Party – using a Google Chrome extension
  8. Virtual Disney World – Experience Disney rides virtually
  9. Winchester Mystery House – A beautiful, bizarre home and architectural wonder and historic landmark in San Jose, CA. 
  10. Call loved ones- Especially the older folks in your life who might be struggling with loneliness

EDUCATIONAL

  1. Harvard – Free online courses
  2. NASA – Entire Media library publicly accessible and copyright free
  3. Smithsonian – Open access 
  4. Hour of Code – Free 1-hour coding tutorials and activities for all ages and skill levels
  5. Science Sparks – Free science experiments for kids!
  6. CodeAcademy.com – learn to code/build a website for free for kids.
  7. Free online cooking class – offering free lessons

MOVEMENT

  1. Yoga for After a Disaster – Free YouTube channel for some zen time. 
  2. Dance Church – Really fun cardio dance classes! 
  3. FitOn – Free app gives you workouts based on your own equipment or none at all
  4. Nike Run Club – Free app that helps you run better, including GPS run tracking; audio-guided runs; weekly, monthly and custom distance challenges.
  5. 7 App – A HIIT inspired free app with 7-minute guided exercise circuits. 

MENTAL HEALTH

  1. Woebot – A free AI chatbot to help you with your feels
  2. InsightTimer – 35,000 free guided meditations and courses
  3. This is an exhaustive list of an array of mental health resources

NON-TECH OPTIONS

  1. Step outside and enjoy nature
  2. Call a friend or family member you haven’t talked to in a while, especially our elders! 
  3. Read a guilty pleasure book, like a murder mystery or fantasy novel. Anything to take you out of the real world for at least 20 minutes a day. 
  4. Journal daily. We are living in history right now. Having a journal now will be a priceless view of your daily experiences during this once in 100 years pandemic. Writing down your thoughts and feelings in an uncensored way will help to diffuse your fear or stress as well. 

RESOURCES FOR FOLKS WHO HAVE LOST CLIENTS OR JOBS

Most sources are saying we’re headed for a recession. A lot of small business owners and workers are hurting right now. Unfortunately, we’re at a place as of the time of publishing where much is unknown, and official resources are not yet clear. If you’re out of work and not sure what to do, your state website will have resources for the unemployed if not now, within the next few days. Local community organizations will also be mobilizing the best they can to serve those in need. Contact any local church (even if you aren’t a member), community center, or local charitable organizations to see if they can help with things like food staples, especially if you’re concerned about an older friend or relative. If rent is an issue, reach out to your landlord (we aren’t all monsters!). 

This is an unprecedented time of coming together while being apart, and now more than ever social media will play a vital role in our lives to help us not feel so isolated. Reach out and tell your communities about your experience and your struggles. I think we are about to see the generosity of the masses come out to help our fellow neighbors at an extraordinary level. 

GIVE

If you find that you’re in a place to help, please give to your local food bank. You can find yours here: Feeding America: US Hunger Relief Organization.

Written by: Betty Bair