Implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation

Implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2016/679 and Enhanced Online Data Protection and Security for Registered Farriers

At a meeting of the FRC on 29 March 2017 the Council endorsed plans for implementation of new data protection legislation, GDPR 2016/679, and the adoption of enhanced online data protection and security for registered farriers. 

In summary, GDPR 2016/679 will impose more restrictive controls on the collection, storage and use of personal data. The FRC, a data controller registered with the Office of the Information Commissioner, shall be obliged to adhere to the more restrictive controls. GDPR 2016/679 shall be implemented in full by early 2018, the FRC is therefore carrying out work to prepare for implementation of this new legislation.

Separately, but not unrelated, the Council also agreed to adopt regulatory best practice endorsed by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), whereby registrants personal data such as address details would be sanitized on the FRC website ‘Find a Farrier’ service. In sum the address details would be anonymized such that the postal address would be restricted to an indication of location only, i.e. the first segment of the post code. Equine owners and members of the pubic who use the ‘Find a Farrier’ Service on the website shall continue to be able to source farriers via use of telephone numbers and/or e-mail addresses. The purpose of this change is to reduce incidences and risk of identity theft and online fraud, and to raise levels of security in respect of registered farrier’s personal data.

An anonymized example of how this appears to the public in Find a Farrier before and after the address details have been removed is set out below:

Previous display:                                                       Revised display:

Mr Joe Bloggs DipWCF                                           Mr Joe Bloggs DipWCF

Distance: 0.01 miles                                                Distance: 0.01 miles

8 Adam Court, Newark Road                                   PE1

Peterborough, Cambs, PE1 5PP                             Mob: 0123465789

Mob: 0123465789                                                    Email: jbloggs@hotmail.co.uk