News

This Friday, one of the biggest changes ever made in the laws protecting the personal data of individuals comes into effect. GDPR, or the General Data Protection Regulation in full, is a new law that supersedes the current Data Protection Act and serves to greatly enhance consumers rights when it comes to their personal data and the way companies collect, use and store it. It also places a greater emphasis on privacy and security. In order to be fully compliant with the new regulations, we’ve made a few updates to our website and would like to take this opportunity to ensure that our patients are aware of some of the key ways in which we are ensuring that the best possible standards are met.

1. New Cookies Notice

When you visit a website for the first time, it is normal to see a message pop up that informs you the website uses cookies and asks if you accept this. Cookie notices were first made a requirement under an EU law introduced in 2011 and have been widely adopted as best practice since then. However, under GDPR there is a need to update the notification to ensure it meets the new standards. It is also necessary in some cases to refresh consent. As a result, you will see a new notice requesting your consent to cookies appears when you visit our website that you may not have seen before.

Cookies are messages that web servers pass to your web browser when you visit internet sites. They can be used to personalise your experience and record certain information such as pages viewed. Your browser stores each message in a small file. The vast majority of cookies are entirely safe, anonymous and nothing to worry about, however all websites have a duty to inform the visitor.

2. Updated Digital Privacy Policy

Another key change under the GDPR legislation is more specific privacy policy statements that cover different aspects of privacy. Although we’ve always made our privacy policy available to our website visitors, we’ve also added a new Digital Privacy Policy that gives more detailed information regarding how our website stores and uses your data. Our Privacy Policy, Digital Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy are all available in the footer of the page. We encourage visitors to familiarise themselves with these should they wish to.

3. SSL Encryption

The New GDPR legislation makes it mandatory for companies to ensure that website visitors are protected from hacking and data leaks. One way that this can be achieved is to ensure that the website is protected by what is known as SSL encryption, which means that any data shared between you and the website or vice versa cannot be intercepted. Here at Sharoe Green Dental Practice, we’ve been secure for a long time, however we feel that it is important for our visitors to know that they are safe.

SSL encryption is recognised by your web browser and allows it to show the green padlock icon accompanied by the prefix ‘https’ in the address bar.

To book an appointment with Sharoe Green Dental Practice of Preston now or to enquire about becoming a member, please don’t hesitate to call us on 01772 718753. We look forward to hearing from you!