Helping hoteliers to stay GDPR compliant – protecting data more easily with Philips MediaSuite Pro TVs

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which has been in force since 25th of May 2018, is the new regulatory framework that was proposed by the European Commission to standardize and strengthen data protection for all EU citizens, especially in respect of managing and processing their personal information.

 

The GDPR is aimed at those who process personal information – both on paper and in digital format. With so much data being collected within the hotel environment, it is clear that the entire hotel industry, engaged daily in processing a high volume of guests’ and visitors’ sensitive data, is fully involved.

 

What personal information is covered by GDPR?

 

Under GDPR, information relating to a natural person who can be identified or who is identifiable, directly from the information in question, or who can be indirectly identified from that information in combination with other information is considered personal information, also known as personal data.

 

As well as the personal data that is collected at check-in and at various other touchpoints while guests and visitors are in residence, sensitive personal data may be collected. Sensitive personal data may include the preferences and habits of guests – be they personal orientations, private behaviors and / or entertainment choices – and this is also covered by the requirements of GDPR.

 

All hotel managers, as processors of personal information, should understand the requirements of GDPR in relation to the collection, storage, and processing of that data. In addition to this, hoteliers have a responsibility to fit their accommodation facilities with IT and AV devices able to guarantee a number of fundamental principles under GDPR, including privacy by design and privacy by default.

 

What is privacy by design and by default?

 

It is a requirement under the GDPR that the appropriate technical and organizational measures are put in place in order to implement the data protection principles and safeguard individuals’ rights. As well as the technical and organizational measures, ‘privacy by design and by default’ is an important principle under the GDPR.

 

This means you are required to make data protection an integral part of your processing activities and business practices, putting the data subject’s privacy issues at the forefront, from the design stage and right through the data processing lifecycle. This has always been a part of data protection law, but it is now a legal requirement.

 

Put more succinctly, for a hotel, data protection by design and by default is a question of placing the guest – and respect for their privacy – at the center of all things data management.

 

Data protection and hotel entertainment systems

 

When taking all into account, there is no doubt that the requirements set out in the GDPR are also relevant to the use of entertainment systems in hotels. This is especially true for in-room Hotel TVs, which collect and record more and more information and sensitive data, functioning as true extensions of guests’ content, their preferences, and their private habits.

 

With high penalties for non-compliance – fines can amount to up to four percent of the global annual turnover of up to 20 million euros, ensuring processes and systems adhere to the requirements of the GDPR is business-critical.

a) the clearing of:

• all data in connection with the apps that have been used by the guest;
• all cookies and history of web pages visited by the guest;
• all login credentials from apps and Google Services used by the guest.

b) the prevention of the last channel and / or the entire list of channels selected by the previous guest of the same room being displayed.

c) reset of the audio-video settings on the TV at source (default), restoring the general use modes.

 

Similarly, this timely deletion of data includes, in particular, the use of cast applications that allow the direct sharing of private content (photos, videos, documents) between the TV in the room and the guest’s mobile devices. This is especially relevant to MediaSuite, as the only Pro TV with built-in Chromecast technology.

 

In fact, the new Philips MediaSuite introduces a series of truly unique features, such as direct access to the Google Play Store, extended lifetime via the ability to update the version of Android on each TV, an interactive on-screen survey, which enables the hotelier with immediate feedback on customer satisfaction, plus the Analytics on-board function, which, through continuous data transmission to the cloud, allows the hotelier to monitor statistics on channels used in order to invest in the most appropriate services and communications for all guests.

 

Naturally, these activities are also managed in accordance with GDPR, as data collection is limited to statistics only, and no personal data is collected that would associate that data with a particular room or individual users.

 

For more information on Philips MediaSuite, please visit:
https://www.philips.co.uk/p-m-pr/professional-displays/get-them-connected