On May 25, 2018, a new data privacy law called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into force, impacting how businesses collect and process data from individuals who live in the European Union (EU). It’s the most significant piece of data protection legislation to be introduced in the EU in 20 years and will replace the 1995 Data Protection Directive.

Here’s what this means for you.

What's the gist of GDPR?

It gives people who are based in the EU greater privacy rights and means that there will be new rules to follow when it comes to collecting, tracking, or handling EU-based customer's personal data.

Does GDPR affect me?

This is highly likely. If you process any form of EU data, then this is for you.

What will GDPR change
for data security?

Quite a few things; from higher standards for protecting sensitive data, to harsher penalties for breaking the rules. You can find out more from the useful links below.

Crowdfunder is 100% committed to your data privacy

Crowdfunder takes data privacy very seriously and we view GDPR as an opportunity to enhance our commitment to data protection for the benefit our customers.

We’re excited to welcome GDPR as we know it will help to reinforce true permission-based marketing, streamlined data and will build trust between marketers, prospects and customers in the EU.

As a trusted crowdfunding platform, our top priority is ensuring that our customers have confidence in our platform and that the data they collect with Crowdfunder is processed securely and in accordance with GDPR requirements.

What you need to know

The team at Crowdfunder HQ have been putting in the hours to get GDPR ready and we are proud to confirm that we are compliant. 

As a user of the Crowdfunder platform, you can be confident that the rights to your personal data (and that of our wider crowdfunding community) and how it’s used, is protected by the toughest privacy legislation in the world. 

If you’re thinking of crowdfunding with us, then read on to find out what GDPR means for you. 

Privacy by design is at the core of what we do. 

We have taken measures right across the Crowdfunder platform and company to ensure that your personal data is secure and that we comply with GDPR. Our new Privacy Policy, which includes your rights as an individual, explains how we treat your data. 

To meet GDPR requirements, we have also...

  • Improved the recording of consent when you add a Project, Pledge or Signup. We now track which version of the T&Cs and Privacy Policy you agree to, and the exact wording of these consents. 
  • We have also improved the wording on our Newsletter opt-ins so that they now clearly state what a customer is signing up for. 
  • We have changed Project Updates and Project Marketing to require a specific opt-in from Supporters, to aid with privacy by design.
  • We have reviewed the data we ask Project Owners for when starting a project, and have removed some fields which we deemed as not necessary.
  • If you are applying for ExtraFunds, we have also made the forms that you use when applying much clearer, including signposting Project Owners to the Privacy Policies of Partners.
  • We have written help articles and guidance for Project Owners and Supporters. 
  • If you are a one of our partners, we have been working hard to ensure frictionless partnering so you that can confidently help and support more projects that matter.
  • We have updated our contracts to bring them in line with GDPR, and ensure that the right relationships with data are established from the get go. 
  • We have also updated our policies - all 60 of them!
  • We have cyber-accreditation and will be updating this later in the year.

But that’s not all! Inside Crowdfunder HQ, we have trained our team on a whole new raft of internal procedures and processes to ensure that we are all GDPR compliant. 

For us, the bottom line is that you can work confidently with Crowdfunder in the knowledge that data is secure for the long term and is used in the right way.

Our goal at Crowdfunder is to deliver an industry-leading funding ecosystem, so that ideas can be supported by the Crowd and our partners. Being compliant with GDPR will be integral to how we support this goal and ensure the success of our customers.

Owen Wallis, Head of Product at Crowdfunder.co.uk