Analysis
27 Jun 18

Webinar: the impact of GDPR and data privacy

If you haven't just returned from a two-year trip into space, you've heard about GDPR. But what do those letters stand for? And more importantly, what does GDPR mean for fleet and mobility managers? The latest Fleet Europe webinar hosted a series of experts to discuss these four letters.

From the start

Fleet professionals clearly still have a lot of questions about GDPR as the webinar had no fewer than 120 participants. The first speaker was Jan-Jan Lowijs, Senior Manager, Deloitte, who introduced the concept of "function creep", meaning that once you have something that you use for a particular purpose, it can also be used for other purposes. Driving licences, for instance, can also be used as a means of identification, in particular to prove that you are old enough to buy tobacco or alcohol.

The same is true for personal data. People often worry what their personal data will be used for and whether they will have a say in this. If we want digital solutions to function properly, we need the public's buy-in. In principle, people tend to trust new technology and this is no issue. Privacy incidents, however, can erode this trust.

That's why it is vital to take privacy into account from the start, rather than adding it to the processes later on. This corresponds to the default setting according to GDPR:  your privacy is protected. If a company wants to record and use your data, that usage has to be defined and fit for purpose and they need your agreement.

A toolbox for trust

Simon Hania, VP Privacy and Security, TomTom, said GDPR is a toolbox for trust.

"Personal data," continued Mr Hania, "can be any data that relates to or could relate to an individual. It could also be data related to an object like a car."

A vehicle's number plate, for instance, can easily be associated to a particular individual and is therefore personal data.

Two important roles under GDPR are those of the data controller and the data processor. A fleet or mobility manager is typically the former, the telematics provider the latter.

This distinction doesn't relieve the fleet manager of the obligation to comply with GDPR. On the contrary, he must put in place a series of procedures to ensure full compliance, the most important being the obligation to define the goals of your data collection. Find out all about it by watching the webinar recording.

Best practices

George de Boer, Leader of Connected Car Initiatives, TomTom Telematics, gave a series of best practice examples. How can a delivery company track the whereabouts of its vehicles? How can a rental company optimise its operations? How can a private lease service provider offer usage-based insurance, automatic on-street parking payment, connected roadside assistance? Find out the answers by watching the webinar recording.

15 to 25% compliance

The webinar was wrapped up with a Q&A session. Can a fleet manager share information about his company fleet with an external company, asked one viewer. The experts answered that this depends on the reason to share this information. Is there a necessity or not? If there is no clear necessity, any approval a driver might give is invalid as there is a power imbalance between the driver and his employer.

Another viewer asked how a driver can be sure his personal car-related data has been destroyed after you return a vehicle? If the data no longer serves a purpose, it should be erased according to GDPR. A driver has the right to access the information a company has saved about them and there are enforcement capabilities if the company does not respond. Nevertheless, some information can be kept (e.g. maintenance data).

A final viewer wanted to know what companies that don't yet fully comply with GDPR yet risk. Today, only between 15 and 25% of all companies are fully compliant. That shouldn't be an argument not to do anything. If you can demonstrate you are making progress, a regulator will probably (but does not have to) show leniency.

Watch the webinar

Watch the recorded webinar here (please note the polls are no longer active).

Authored by: Benjamin Uyttebroeck