At Quora we have been GDPR compliant for many years. If we look at data regulation in a broader perspective, it has been so since our first beginnings seventeen years ago.
With all the media attention on the GDPR, it is a good moment to tell you why we have had privacy as default and by design right from the start, regardless the location of the organisations we work with anywhere around the globe.
The amount of information gathered about people and employees is increasing and accelerating. It used to be pretty hard to gather data about people. But that is changing rapidly. This process cannot be stopped, we’re becoming ever more digital. Therefore, it matters greatly what legal and social constructs are put in place to govern the use of such data.
As human beings, we tend to be uncomfortable when our data is used today. Because often we do not know much about who is gathering that data and for which purpose. We have no say in how it is used, and who is accountable for it. The benefits of gathering the data and the information it provides are often unknown or not understood. The relationship between the entities that gather the data and the people whose data is gathered is unbalanced, most of the time. There are the few that know all, while the people, and the teams they form, know often very little. That is why a lot of organisations are focused on gathering data and mainly using it for c-suite reporting. In our opinion, it means you are missing out on opportunities to use the data gathered effectively.
We are different. Because our long-term goal at Quora is to make work better for teams and the organisations in which they operate. We want the people involved in their ‘work’ and the discussion about it to benefit everyone. We make the organisation perform better. Therefore, it is logical that we have taken the needs regarding privacy serious, being completely transparent about what data we store and how it is used, and how you can modify it. The information ecology we use allows individuals to share their data safely, so teams of individuals can cooperate to make work better.
Quora is the leading digital analytic platform that creates synergies between HR, IT, workspace and management culture to make work better. We do this with your people and for your people. In that sense, we are truly social technologists that collects data for the benefit of the people in a respectful way. We deliver a process and a platform that allows teams to gain insight and knowledge on how to make work better.
The GDPR creates a formal structure for that. That’s good in this day and age where we have become more critical towards employers, brands, and social media platforms. We are happy to have been complying with the principles of GDPR since our foundation and will gladly continue to do so.