GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is the European compliance that came into effect in 2018. It aims to protect the personal data of European residents by helping them with a broader view of how their personal data is collected, processed, and stored by government and private organizations. GDPR is a complicated compliance that requires the involvement of lawyers and technical protocols. DMARC is one of the main protocols that make a brand GDPR compliant.
If your organization is required to comply with GDPR, failing to do so can result in severe penalties, up to 20 million Euros in fines or 4% of the company’s annual global revenue, whichever is higher. That’s why considering DMARC for GDPR is not just an obligation but a necessity.
Why does DMARC matter for being GDPR compliant?
GDPR mandates DMARC deployment because it helps the recipients’ servers know if the email sent from your domain is legitimate. DMARC empowers domain owners to decide how they want the receiving mailboxes to deal with illegitimate emails sent from their domains; they can instruct to place such emails in spam folders or block their entries altogether. This benefits both parties- while recipients don’t come across potentially malicious emails and hence don’t engage with them, domain owners keep their brands’ names out of cases of phishing, spoofing, ransomware attacks, etc.
Any company that handles the personal data of European citizens is bound to follow GDPR. It is applicable irrespective of the location and size of the company; if you store and manage the data of EU citizens, you have to be GDPR-compliant.
GDPR offers the following rights to individuals whose data is being processed;
- Right to access their data
- Right to correct inaccuracies
- Right to have their data deleted
How does DMARC help with GDPR compliance?
DMARC allows visibility into all the servers that send emails on your behalf. These days, brands use different marketing tools that expose critical data. In such cases, having DMARC in place ensures emails sent from unauthorized entities don’t land in the primary folders of recipients. GDPR requires companies to have Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) with every cloud service provider that handles European consumers’ data on your behalf. This is done in addition to protecting data like names linked with email addresses, open rates, tracking of links, etc.
Many organizations struggle to uncover shadow IT cloud services. However, if these services send emails using your company’s domain in the ‘From’ field, DMARC can help identify them.
With DMARC in place, you receive reports whenever an email using your domain hits a DMARC-compliant mail gateway (about 75% of global inboxes). These aggregate reports (RUA) detail all senders using your domain, enabling you to identify them and confirm that proper agreements, like a Data Processing Agreement (DPA), are in place.
To start, you can configure DMARC to a monitor-only policy (p=none). While this doesn’t protect against email impersonation, it allows you to collect data and gain visibility.
Later, by enforcing a stricter DMARC policy (p=quarantine or p=reject), you ensure only authenticated senders with established DPAs can use your domain. This safeguards your organization from unauthorized data use or email distribution.
Getting started with GDPR for your organization
Here’s how you can begin your GDPR journey for abiding the compliance-
1. Conduct a data audit
- Identify data types: Make a categorical list of data, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, payment details, etc. We suggest that you don’t neglect to catalog the less obvious information like IP addresses or browsing histories, as these are also protected under GDPR.
- Map data flow: Keep a tab on how data enters, moves, and exits your organization. This includes identifying third-party vendors or cloud storage services handling your data.
- Analyze risks: Wherever the data is collected, processed, or stored, evaluate those touch points to see if everything is safe and sound. If you detect any vulnerabilities that can open avenues for potential breaches, fix them immediately.
2. Place clear data policies
- Draft privacy notes: Create proper policies that explain how exactly the data is being collected and used by your organization and any third-party vendor associated with you. Also, mention the duration for which the data has to be retained. Be mindful that these policies align with GDPR’s transparency requirements.
- Define internal protocols: Set clear rules for how personal data is used, how long it is kept, and how to handle requests from people wanting access to their data. These rules should ensure data is only stored as long as necessary and securely deleted once it’s no longer needed. Having a well-defined process prevents unnecessary risks and helps maintain trust with customers.
- Appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO): For organizations required by GDPR, a DPO oversees compliance efforts, handles data-related inquiries, and serves as a contact point for regulators.
3. Train your employees
- Comprehensive training programs: Ensure your employees are aware of GDPR principles like data minimization and individual rights. Without their awareness and contribution, your organization won’t be able to stay compliant. It’s helpful if you include scenarios that are relevant to their roles and responsibilities, like handling customer inquiries or responding to data breaches.
- Create a culture of awareness: Regularly communicate the importance of data protection to build a mindset of accountability and vigilance.
- Simulate breach scenarios: Conduct mock drills to prepare staff for managing data breaches and ensure swift and compliant responses to potential incidents.
Don’t overlook DMARC
DMARC empowers domain owners to know if unauthorized services are being used to send emails on their behalf. Its reporting mechanism provides you with forensic and aggregate reports that you can analyze to see if your DMARC policies need any adjustments.
This way, you can protect your customer and brand from falling into phishing traps. It’s suggested that the management process of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC be automated to reduce manual workload and improve accuracy.
Wondering how AutoSPF can help?
Well, DMARC results are built on SPF and DKIM. So, our automatic SPF flattening tool helps your SPF record stay within the lookup limit of 10. An erroneous SPF record prompts an error in DMARC results. So, please feel free to use our tool to get your SPF record in good shape.
