The Schellman Blog

In news that’s excited the privacy industry worldwide—the EU – U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF) was announced on Monday, July 10, 2023, and took near immediate effect. This comes after months of review and public comment, but now, with the DPF functioning as a new adequacy mechanism under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), organizations can once again transfer data under an adequacy decision if they adhere to and self-certify against the DPF.

You’ve probably heard the classic idiom about “keeping up with the Joneses.” According to Miriam-Webster, it means “to show that one is as good as other people by getting what they have and doing what they do.” Generally, that’s usually meant people buying expensive cars or other things they can’t afford to try and maintain the same pace as their peers.

With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) becoming effective May 25, 2018, organizations (or rather, organisations) seem to be stressing a bit. Most we speak with are asking, “where do we even start?” or “what is included as personal data under the GDPR?” It is safe to say that these are exactly the questions organizations should be asking, but to know where to start, organizations first need to understand how the GDPR applies to their organization within this new definition for personal data. Without first understanding what to look for, an organization cannot begin to perform data discovery and data mapping exercises, review data management practices and prepare the organization for compliance with the GDPR.

You most likely selected the link to this blog to discover one of two things: 1) how to effectively manage vendor requirements via SOC reports or 2) what the SOC 1/SOC 2 examination requirements are for vendor management. I don’t want to disappoint, so this article will provide you with some knowledge or at least some validation of your current thoughts on the matter.

If you remember the film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, the villain Davy Jones cuts his heart from his chest and locks it away, hiding it from the world and protecting it from the ravages of grief. Bit of a drastic action if you ask us, but we—like most people—can understand taking serious lengths to protect the things we care about. That includes information. In this day and age of the Internet, where so much of life takes place, it can be tough to safeguard such data, especially when malicious attackers are constantly seeking to steal it and take advantage.