Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a computer was stirring, not even a mouse;
The security measures were in place round the data with care,
In hopes that Anonymous soon wouldn’t be there;

The data protection officers were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of gap analyses danced in their heads;
And the information commissioner in her ‘kerchief, and her deputy In his cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,

When out in the media there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to my iPhone I flew like a flash,
Checked the BBC website (and accepted the cookies in my cache).

I saw news of a data breach at a supermarket we all know;
That will add urgency to the DP preparations we all have on the go,
Then, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Jersey’s new Data Laws, and the principles to which we must adhere,

With a new Data Protection Authority, so independent and quick,
I knew in a moment it must do the trick.

More rapid than eagles its members they came,
And they whistled, and shouted, and called the principles by name;

“Now, lawful, fair and transparently! now, purpose limitation!

now, Minimisation and accuracy!

On, storage limitation! on Accountability! on, Confidentiality and Integrity!

To the top of the risk register! to the top of your board!
Now implement away! Implement away! Implement away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the board-top the data protection officers flew,
With a sleigh full of implementation plans, and the principles too.

And then, in a twinkling, the Authority could see proof,
Of compliance that controllers and processors were ready to produce.

The Authority sprang to its task, to its team gave a whistle,
And on with the legislative process we flew like the down of a thistle.
But You’ll hear us exclaim, ere we disappear out of sight,

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!

Matthew Berry’s poem, “GDPR night before Christmas” (all rights reserved…J).