Well no, it doesn’t.  It stands for the General Data Protection Regulation, an EU regulation that comes into effect in May 2018.  It’s not a revolution in data protection, but an evolution.  But it does mean that we will have to do some things differently with how we treat personal information.  I’ll be posting updates here on what that means for the way we work, and on progress with the Council’s plans for implementation of GDPR.

One of the exciting things about GDPR (for me, at least) is that it ties in with our plans to transform how we use information in the Council.  Before we can use information in better ways, we first need to know what we’ve got.  So we are embarking on a Council-wide audit to find out, and record, what information we hold.  As part of that audit, we’ll identify where that includes personal information (about our service users, our citizens, and our employees) and ensure that we’re using that information in a way that fits with GDPR.  We'll then be in a good position to see how we can use that information in better ways - and to make sure we get rid of what we no longer need. I've heard some great stories already about multiple copies of documents and photos being held on systems and files.

So, there are interesting times ahead. Or, in other words – Great!  Data Protection Reform!

If you have any queries or suggestions, please get in touch on information.project@falkirk.gov.uk