Many businesses in the U.S. assume the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) doesn’t affect them since it’s a European-based regulation. However, the boating industry is a global marketplace and it is quite possible that even small businesses will be affected by the new regulations, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) website:

“Your customers and prospects are citizens of various countries throughout the world even if they reside in the U.S. If your customers and prospects visit the EU, they are protected by GDPR while there. When your business has any communications or transactions with customers via phone, email, social media or website, it is highly likely that your business stores their personal information/data in some way. And, the storage of personal information is what GDPR was designed to protect.”

Regardless of the size of a business, its location or who it does business with, the NMMA suggests that business owners educate themselves about the GDPR. For detailed information about the GDPR’s scope, the companies it affects, rules for compliance and its effects on the boating industry, visit www.nmma.org and search GDPR.