LAST YEAR , THERE were 3.6mn cases of computer fraud in the UK alone , representing approximately one case for every 18 residents . A large proportion of such crime targets individual data , utilising personal details to access bank accounts and steal money .
These crimes are not limited to the domestic sector . Following on from the infamous TalkTalk , Yahoo and NHS data breaches , recent events in the US have seen credit checking giant Equifax fail to provide sufficient measures to protect customer data . Conservative estimates speculate that private damage claims issued against Equifax could even cause the company to cease trading .
It is these high-profile cases , together with increasingly rapid changes to the information technology landscape , that has prompted EU regulatory bodies to update existing data protection frameworks with the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ).
Increasing protection : Enter the GDPR Following the increasing need for a new approach to data protection on