The appointment of a data protection officer is required by law if your company has at least 20 employees who regularly process personal data. It is important to note that part-time employees, temporary staff or interns are fully taken into account when calculating the number of employees.

The appointment may also be mandatory for companies which, due to their nature, scope and/or purposes, require extensive, regular and systematic monitoring of data subjects or if the core activity consists of the extensive processing of special categories of data (Art. 9 GDPR).

We analyze whether your company is affected by this in a free data protection check-up at the beginning. You can start this immediately and test Dieter 's functions.

All companies must meet the requirements of GDPR . This applies regardless of the number of employees and therefore even for sole traders and solo self-employed persons.

These companies must also comply with the general data protection principles (such as lawfulness, transparency, purpose limitation, data minimization, etc.), inform data subjects about data processing and implement technical and organizational measures to protect personal data. In addition, "small" companies are also obliged to keep a register of all processing activities and a deletion concept, introduce processes for the correct handling of data protection violations and much more.

With Dieter, you no longer have to worry. We'll take care of everything you need to fulfill your legal obligations.

The appointment of an internal data protection officer has the advantage that he or she regularly knows the company well and has direct access to the necessary information. However, effective ways must also be found here as to how this information can be translated into legally required measures. It should also be noted that in this constellation (irrespective of any special protection against dismissal that needs to be examined) there is a dependency between the employee and the employer. This can quickly lead to a conflict of interest that negatively affects both the core activity and the activity as a DPO. In addition, the employer is responsible for compensating for short or long-term absences of the DPO internally.

The appointment of an external data protection officer initially excludes the disadvantages mentioned above. Here it is possible to conclude a fixed-term contract, communicate on an equal footing and change the service provider if necessary. A good data protection officer should always consider the needs of the company and bring them into line with the legal obligations. The experience required for this is a basic prerequisite for professional external DPOs to provide successful advice.

The appointment of a data protection officer is a legal act that can be compared to an appointment. Through the appointment, the data protection officer is officially appointed in his or her function and thus assumes rights and obligations. To ensure that the organization is sufficiently protected, the necessary formalities must be observed and the appointment must be carried out properly.

The data protection officer must notify the competent data protection supervisory authority. This authority is responsible for monitoring compliance with data protection regulations and acts as a point of contact for data protection matters. It is important to ensure that the notification is made properly and that all the necessary information is included.

Almost all German companies use services from companies (Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, etc.) with which an international data protection contract (SCC/JC) must be concluded. In addition, digital service providers necessarily "receive" personal data from their clients for the service they offer. In these cases, it is imperative to check whether and with whom so-called order processing agreements (AVVs) must be concluded. Dieter takes over this check and also always provides the correct contract.

Warning letters due to GDPR violations have increased steadily in recent years. This is exemplified by the numerous warnings for the GDPR-compliant use of Google Fonts in the summer of 2022. Irrespective of the fact that some of these warnings were not lawful, they were based on a decision by the LG Munich in January 2022. In addition, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled at the end of 2022 that consumer associations are generally entitled to issue warnings for a GDPR violation. These (and other) court decisions suggest further waves of warning letters. These can affect all companies that do not take care of their legal obligations.

A GDPR-compliant website is the first step in effectively protecting yourself from warning letters. In 2022, there were already countless warnings due to the unlawful use of Google fonts. Dieter not only takes care of your data protection concerns, but also creates your Legal notice.

In Germany, around 85% of all German companies were victims of a cyber attack in 2022. Each affected company incurred average costs of around €20,000 per incident. In addition, around 20% of customers terminate their contracts with affected companies or delete their accounts. Implementing mandatory technical and organizational measures (TOMs) alone significantly reduces the risk of being affected.

79% of Internet users are afraid of "data misuse". And quite rightly so! Because since 2022, personal data has been legally equivalent to a currency. Awareness of this is growing all the time. This data should be just as secure as a bank account. And that is what the implementation of the GDPR ensures.

More than 2/3 of the participants in a study on "Consumer data and data protection" (commissioned by McKinsey & Company) stated that they would no longer want to be a customer of or work with a company that does not protect their data or passes it on without a legal basis. It also proves that responsible handling of personal data and compliance with all legal obligations is a clear competitive advantage.

It refers to the fact that every person has the right to determine for themselves what personal (and therefore very private) data about them is collected, stored and used. It also provides the opportunity to prevent abuse, fraud and discrimination. Data protection is thus an essential component of the (fundamental) right to informational self-determination under the German Basic Law. This right protects the privacy, identity and freedom of every person and is therefore essential for a democratic society. Respecting it should be a matter of course for every company.