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Comparison between GDPR and SOC 2

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Overview

GDPR and SOC 2 are two different standards of compliance. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is an EU regulation that sets out the rules for data protection and privacy for individuals within the European Union. SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls) is a set of standards used to evaluate a service provider's non-financial reporting controls related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of a system. Both standards are designed to protect the data of individuals, but GDPR is limited to the European Union, while SOC 2 is applicable to organizations globally.



What is GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union (EU). It was adopted on April 14, 2016, and went into effect on May 25, 2018. The GDPR strengthens and unifies data protection for all individuals within the EU, and applies to all companies processing the personal data of data subjects residing in the EU, regardless of the company's location. It also applies to the processing of personal data of data subjects outside the EU if the data controller or processor is located in the EU. The GDPR replaces the 1995 Data Protection Directive and is designed to give individuals more control over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU. The GDPR sets out a number of principles relating to the processing of personal data, including the purpose limitation principle, the data minimization principle, the accuracy principle, the storage limitation principle, the integrity and confidentiality principle, the accountability principle, and the transparency principle. It also provides for the rights of data subjects, including the right to access, the right to rectification, the right to erasure, the right to data portability, the right to object, the right to restriction of processing, and the right to be informed.


What is SOC 2?

SOC 2 is an auditing procedure used to assess and report on the security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of a service organization's systems and services. It is an internationally recognized standard for service organizations, such as cloud service providers, to demonstrate that they have adequate controls in place to protect customer data. SOC 2 reports provide assurance to customers that their data is secure, and that their service provider is following industry best practices for data security and privacy. The report also provides assurance to customers that their service provider is following all applicable laws and regulations.


A Comparison Between GDPR and SOC 2

1. Both require organizations to have strong data protection and security measures in place.

2. Both have a set of standards and requirements that must be met in order to be compliant.

3. Both require organizations to implement and maintain policies and procedures to protect data and ensure privacy.

4. Both require organizations to document processes and procedures related to data protection and security.

5. Both require organizations to regularly monitor and audit their systems and processes.

6. Both require organizations to provide training and awareness to their staff on data protection and security.

7. Both require organizations to provide customers with information about their data protection and security practices.

8. Both require organizations to have a process for responding to data breaches and other security incidents.


The Key Differences Between GDPR and SOC 2

1. GDPR is a European Union (EU) data privacy law that applies to any company that processes data of EU citizens, while SOC 2 is a US-based security and privacy audit standard that applies to companies that store or process customer data.

2. GDPR focuses on protecting the rights of EU citizens, while SOC 2 focuses on the security of customer data.

3. GDPR requires organizations to obtain consent from EU citizens for the collection, use, and storage of their data, while SOC 2 does not.

4. GDPR requires organizations to provide access to data and the ability to delete or correct data, while SOC 2 does not.

5. GDPR requires organizations to report data breaches to supervisory authorities, while SOC 2 does not.