GDPR Explained

Protects personal data and strengthens customer privacy

Requires secure handling of personal data across customer interactions

GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation and is designed to improve how personal data is protected and increase accountability for organizations that handle it.

It gives individuals greater control over their personal data and covers information such as names, addresses, email addresses, bank details, medical information and IP addresses.

Research by Thales Security found that half of UK consumers didn't believe commercial organizations cared about their privacy, while 77% said a failure to comply with GDPR would negatively impact their perception of an organization.

In the UK, the UK GDPR works alongside the Data Protection Act 2018, while the EU GDPR continues to apply across the European Union.

Changes for contact centers

As a contact center, you are more likely to be exposed to, handle, use or store customers' personal data as part of everyday interactions. That means GDPR and data protection requirements apply across the contact center.

Customer information can be shared through voice calls, chat, digital channels and AI-powered interactions. Organizations need to understand what personal data they handle, where it is stored, who can access it and how it is protected.

Reducing unnecessary access to sensitive information will help lower the risk of data exposure while supporting GDPR compliance.

What is 'personal data'?

GDPR redefines personal data as ‘any information relating to an individual, whether it relates to his, or her, private professional or public life.’ This is a wider definition from previous data protection legislation and covers name, home address, photo, email address, bank details, social media posts, medical information and a computer IP address.

Any data set that can be used to identify an individual, is required to be regulated by GDPR.

Protecting personal data in the contact center

GDPR places responsibility on organizations to take appropriate measures to protect the personal data they handle. For contact centers, this means protecting sensitive information throughout the customer interaction and limiting access wherever possible.

Technology can help prevent sensitive information from being seen, heard or stored unnecessarily within the contact center environment. As organizations introduce AI agents and new digital channels, these protections should extend across both human and AI interactions, helping strengthen security, support GDPR compliance and maintain customer trust.