GDPR and Your Podcast – Things to Know

GDPR and Your Podcast – Things to Know

We’ve all heard of GDPR, but do we really understand it? After all, who does it apply to?

Well, the answer to this is everyone. Especially if you own a website or even a podcast. While companies such as Amazon and Spotify have recently been accused of breaking GDPR compliances, you’ll want to ensure you’re sticking to them yourself, which is why we’ve broken GDPR down for all you podcasters, below.

What is a GDPR Policy?

Put into place throughout Europe, GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation. These ultimately help to protect privacy but are also known as the toughest privacy laws around and are adhered to by the vast majority of websites across the internet. If these laws aren’t followed, you could be fined up to 4% of your global revenue if taken to court.

Why do They Exist?

Sounds tough, doesn’t it? But, there’s a good reason for GDPR to be in play. The law on GDPR was passed in order to regulate the collection of citizen data within the EU, while requiring businesses to protect personal data, and privacy, for transactions occurring within EU member states. However, although it was passed for EU citizens, companies should keep in mind that it applies to those citizens regardless of where the company is based.

How Does it Apply to a Podcast?

Although you may think GDPR won’t apply to your podcast, it will. Therefore, you need to ensure you, and your podcast is GDPR compliant, even if you don’t live in the EU. The reason for this is, if your podcast has been around for a while, or is available worldwide, chances are, someone from the EU has listened to it at some point or been to your website if you run one, as you’ll be collecting data. Therefore, you need to ensure that your GDPR policy is visible to these people in the same way that a website makes it visible. If people are going to interact, they need to be aware of what happens when they do.

How Do I Get One?

If you’re on a website like YouTube, in which case you’d be a vlogger, you may be covered under a blanket policy. But, if you host your own website and media, made with the help of companies like RS Components, you’ll need to put your own together – which will probably require the help of a lawyer.

What Should it Include?

Finally, you’ll need to know what to include. While a lawyer can give you a hand, the type of things needed are:

• What information is being collected?
• Who’s collecting it?
• How’s it collected?
• Why is it being collected?
• How is it being used?
• How’s it shared?
• How will it affect the individual in question?
• Will the usage likely cause individuals to object or complain?