EU General Data Protection Regulation
The corporate philosophy at ETI – competent and fair – also applies particularly to the new data protection rules according to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). ETI has always been competent when it comes to data protection.
The previous law in the German Federal Data Protection Act was applied meticulously and in a legally sound manner in all collection business areas. The responsible party within the meaning of the GDPR guarantees ETI compliance with the fundamental principles of data processing.
ETI is a legal service provider
As a collection company, ETI is also a legal service provider and all levels of collection procedures are only possible with precise data. Whether a matter of address research, credit assessments or the use of long-term monitoring, personal data is necessary to success-oriented claim management at every stage of the process.
What is new? Data processing according to the GDPR
Scope and form
The GDPR stipulates an expanded duty of disclosure and binds this in a form. Our ETI staff always give clients detailed information when contact is first established, thus fulfilling the expanded duty of disclosure. This is applied through the “Information on data processing pursuant to GDPR article 13”.
ETI clients have personal access to this information in the secure client area on the ETI website, or it is sent by post. The contact for possible questions, ambiguities or rights of revocation and rights of objection is the ETI data protection officer, who is available in person or via the email address
datenschutz@eti-experts.de. This fulfils all requirements for immediate client access to their rights with regard to data processing.
Example:
Due to an incorrect address, it is not currently possible for ETI to send the debtor a payment request by post. If a telephone number is provided, ETI will phone the debtor and ask for their current address. In this first contact over the telephone, according to the GDPR, the debtor must now be informed what data is being collected in terms of data protection law. So that the debtor knows their rights and is capable of contacting the ETI data protection officer, we inform the debtor that they will be sent the relevant information immediately following the telephone conversation.
Purpose
The clients, defined as affected persons by the GDPR, must be able to find out at any time for what purpose ETI is using their personal data, and who is processing it. Processing includes collection, processing and storing. As a collection service provider, ETI basically pursues the goal of its clients, contract processing and prosecution as well as the individual goal of claims management. For ETI, under the banner of transparency, it is natural that client interests are absolutely paramount when it comes to data processing.
ETI: ideally situated with regard to all things GDPR
Viewed overall, the GDPR implements legally stricter rules. In general, it sticks to the principle that the use of data collection must justify the means. “As much as necessary, as little as possible” – this is how ETI has been achieved its successes over the years. Trust, fairness and transparency are not empty words when it comes to data protection. ETI will continue to work to fill them with credible and comprehensible content – for the highest possible level of customer satisfaction.