Compliance Requirements, Practices, and Methods for Telecom Sector Companies

In January 2021, an Italian telecommunication giant was fined €27.8 million ($31.5 million) by Garante for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy regulations. But that's not all; the Italian Data Protection Authority (DPA) also imposed a €4.5 million ($5.5 million) and a €17 million ($20 million) fine on two more telecommunication giants in the country in April and July this year. Additionally, in March, the Spanish DPA levied an €8.15 million ($9.72 million) fine on one of the country's largest telecom service providers for violating the GDPR privacy regulations.


That is just Europe in 2021; the United States also has a list of telecommunication companies with an accumulated fine of $3 billion by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in recent years for mishandling the consumer's sensitive data. And the situation does not seem any different around the globe, with defaulters being fined millions of dollars by the local and international regulatory bodies.


Compliance Requirements

All this states that compliance laws and regulations cannot be ignored. Therefore, the first step to do things right is by understanding these regulations, most of which require the following:

  • Data processing must be legal, fair, and transparent to the data subject.

  • Data processing shall be limited to the legitimate purposes stated to the data subject when the data was obtained.

  • Only gather and process as much data as is necessary for the objectives stated.

  • Personal data must be accurate and up to date.

  • You may only keep personally identifiable information (PII) for as long as it is required for the designated purpose.

  • Processing must be carried out with the utmost security, integrity, and confidentiality (e.g., by using encryption).

  • Lastly, it is the data controller's responsibility to show compliance with all these criteria upon an investigation.


Practices

Since most of the GDPR related fines revolve around mismanagement of personal data for marketing purposes, the second step to doing things rights for telecommunications companies is to practice the following:

  • Ensure you have the person's consent before you telemarket any product.

  • Create distinct opt-ins for various marketing activities and make it easy for customers to unsubscribe.

  • Make sure your company's data privacy policy is accurate and up-to-date.

  • Verify that you have a clear legal basis for outsourcing any processing activity to a third party, such as a marketing agency.

  • Keep detailed records, maintain data processing agreements with contractors, and conduct frequent audits to ensure that your processing operations are legal.


Methods

The third step for the telecom companies would be using technology and experts:


Compliance Tools

Several regulations such as GDPR suggest using technology to ensure compliance is practiced enterprise-wide and on all data. This involves using compliance management software that can help companies flag compliance risks per the industry-specific requirements.


File Analysis Tools

Various regulations suggest using technology to manage and protect data better. This involves using file analysis software to locate sensitive information such as email address, SSN, credit card details, etc. and flagging them to the users to delete them defensibly.

 

Appointment of DPOs

Some regulations also require highly regulated companies that deal with a high volume of data, such as telecom companies, to appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO) to guarantee data privacy compliance, data monitoring, and processing.


Conclusion

Compliance laws and regulations help businesses increase their efficiency while also gaining consumer trust and loyalty, which leads to increased sales. Almost every industry has its own set of compliance rules and regulations to follow. Therefore, companies that want to be compliant must determine their own criteria based on their information governance and business analytics requirements. Furthermore, organizations must also collaborate with their suppliers and partners to ensure they have the appropriate tools and resources to comply.

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