Guide to Building GDPR Compliant Software

Is there at least a slight chance that one of your app users might be from the EU? If yes, making your application GDPR compliant is a must.

In this article, Apriorit tech experts explain how to achieve the necessary level of data security and avoid severe fines for non-compliance by choosing the right approach to software development and testing.

Do you need to comply with the GDPR?

Naturally, any software created for and distributed within the EU should comply with the GDPR. However, you might need to meet the requirements of this regulation even if you operate outside the EU.

To understand whether you should comply with GDPR, just answer the following four questions:

1. Do EU residents use your solution?

2. Do you collect user emails and logins?

3. Do you collect personal data for product shipping?

4. Do you use any third-party services that process user data (analytics, user authentication, etc.)?

If you answer “Yes” to at least one of these questions, then you’d better make sure that your software and your website comply with GDPR requirements.

According to GDPR.EU, failing to meet the requirements of the GDPR can cost you up to 20 million euros or up to 4% of your annual turnover.

How the GDPR affects software development?

The need to comply with the GDPR has little effect on basic software development and testing choices, like what programming language to use or which test automation tool to deploy. However, you should account for GDPR requirements every time you process users’ personal data when building and testing your product.

5 tips for building GDPR compliant software

To build a GDPR compliant app, you should ensure strong data protection and maintain user data privacy throughout each stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC).

Developing a GDPR compliant app is challenging because it requires you to:

• Plan software entire design with personal data privacy protection in mind if you’re building a GDPR compliant app from scratch.
• Implement the necessary data protection measures at each stage of your SDLC that requires processing users’ personal data.
• Thoroughly revise not only your data processing routines but all of your Privacy Policies and Terms as well as consent forms.

Want to make your app GDPR compliant? Check the full text in our blog to get a detailed overview of five development and testing tips for creating a GDPR compliant app.