ACFO WEBINAR to focus on Helping Fleet Decision-Makers get to Grips with New General Data Protection Regulation
posted in News and Events by gestione
Press Release
The forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will be the subject of ACFO’s second webinar – and the first of 2018 – on Friday, 23 March.
The 12 noon webinar hosted by the UK’s premier fleet decision-makers’ organisation, is being supported by TomTom Telematics.
The webinar, which follows ACFO’s first webinar last November, which highlighted key issues impacting on fleets in the wake of the autumn Budget Statement, will enable the organisation’s members to obtain a comprehensive insight into GDPR and its effect on company car and van and ‘grey fleet’ – employees who drive their own cars on business trips – operations and drivers when the rules become effective on 25 May.
The webinar will be hosted by ACFO regional chairman Julie Summerell and regional secretary James Pestell and they will be joined by Beverley Wise, sales director UK and Ireland, TomTom Telematics.
Billed as ‘GDPR: What every fleet decision-maker needs to know’, the webinar will cover key parts of the regulations that are likely to impact on fleets; the major questions fleet decision-makers should be asking of their suppliers in relation to data captured and provided; the information fleets should store, how it should be recorded and who has access to it; what information is sent to third parties; and what consents are required from employees.
ACFO chairman John Pryor, who will introduce the webinar, said:
“It is vital that fleet professionals know how vehicle and driver-related data is collected; where data is; and what then happens to it. Many fleet decision-makers will, ACFO believes, already be meeting what is required under GDPR, but the webinar will provide answers to the key questions and ‘what if’ scenarios. It is also important that drivers are reminded to ‘wipe clean’ satellite navigation and mobile telephone records from vehicles prior to their defleet.
“The webinar will give a fleet perspective to GDPR and highlight where existing policies and procedures in respect of the collection and management of data may need to be brought up to date to ensure compliance.”
At last year’s ACFO spring seminar, ‘Big Data – Big Seminar’, GDPR was one of the major topics covered and delegates were told by Alex Ktorides, head of ethics and risk and a partner at law firm Gordon Dadds, that the sharing and using of personal vehicle user data was a huge issue and that businesses should update employment contracts, terms and conditions and codes of conduct to reflect the new world of ‘big data’.
GDPR builds on existing data protection legislation with a particular focus on digitalisation and technology. Core to the 1998 Data Protection Act are eight data protection “principles” and GDPR reforms those and introduces new “principles” of transparency and accountability with the ability to “prove consent” a significant pillar of the new regulations.
The new regulations are particularly relevant in respect of fleets capturing data in relation to, for example, driver behaviour and performance.
Mr Ktorides called GDPR a “big sea-change” and said:
“Businesses must be clear about what data they are gathering and why, where it is going and how it is being used and gain people’s consent. If information is personal and identifies who a person is and how that employee is using their car and their behaviour then it impacts on their privacy and requires sign-off.”
Penalties for breaching the core “principles” of GDPR are potentially huge with a maximum fine for companies of €20 million or 4% of total worldwide annual turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is the higher. What’s more the reputational damage of businesses misusing or losing data could be significant.
The webinars are designed to enable ACFO members to obtain up-to-date information without leaving their desks on key announcements by legislators in Europe, Whitehall and at a local government level and insight as to how those measures will impact on their fleet operations.
Webinar registration is via the ACFO website at www.acfo.org. The webinar will also be available as a download from the ‘members’ area’ of the website and will be accompanied by a toolkit containing relevant guides and resources. Members may submit GDPR-related questions for answering prior to or post the webinar via the website.
Notes for Editors
ACFO Ltd is a non-profit making organisation. It is the largest UK body representing the interests of businesses which operate cars and vans as part of their normal commercial activities.
Members are represented within ACFO by a named delegate, often but not exclusively, the fleet or transport manager of the member organisation. There is, however, a very wide range of job titles involved, reflecting the different styles of fleet operation. ACFO provides a national representation platform, and regional webinar-based networking opportunities, to support its key objective of improving the discipline and craft of fleet management, and its status.
Further information can be obtained from: Ashley Martin at Ashley Martin Communications on 01733 390691, 07801 434338 or at [email protected]. Alternatively, email [email protected] or go to www.acfo.org