The Six Principles, Simply Stated

GDPR is built on six core principles. Every compliance decision flows from these:

1. Lawfulness and transparency — you need a valid legal reason to process data, and users must know what you're doing with it
2. Purpose limitation — data collected for one purpose cannot be used for another without fresh consent
3. Data minimisation — collect only what you actually need, not what might be useful someday
4. Accuracy — keep data up to date; users have the right to correct inaccurate information
5. Storage limitation — delete data you no longer need; don't store user records indefinitely
6. Security — protect data with appropriate technical measures

Your Pre-Launch Checklist

Privacy Policy. You need one before launch. It must explain what data you collect, why you collect it, how long you keep it, and who you share it with. Don't copy-paste from another startup — their data practices differ from yours. A lawyer can draft one in a few hours; template services like Iubenda or Termly are cheaper alternatives for early stage.

Cookie consent. If your site sets cookies beyond strictly necessary ones (analytics, tracking, ads), you need a consent banner. Users must be able to opt out. Pre-ticked boxes are not valid consent under GDPR.

Data processing legal basis. For each type of data you collect, you need a valid legal basis: consent, contract performance, legitimate interest, or legal obligation. Most SaaS products rely on contract performance for core product data and legitimate interest or consent for marketing.

Right to deletion. You need a mechanism for users to request that their data be deleted. For early-stage products, this can be a support email that triggers a manual process — you don't need an automated self-serve portal immediately, but you need a process.

Data breach response plan. GDPR requires you to report certain data breaches to your supervisory authority within 72 hours. Know who your supervisory authority is and have a basic incident response process documented.

What You Can Defer (For Now)

A full Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA). Required only for high-risk processing activities — biometric data, large-scale behavioral tracking, automated decision-making. A typical SaaS MVP doesn't trigger this.

A Data Protection Officer (DPO). Required for public authorities, or companies doing large-scale systematic monitoring. Most startups don't need one.

Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) with every vendor. You do need DPAs with the key vendors who process your users' data (your cloud provider, email service, analytics tool). Most major vendors (AWS, Google, Stripe, SendGrid) have standard DPAs available through their portals — sign them, don't skip them.

Practical Steps by Tool

• Analytics: Switch Google Analytics to GA4 with IP anonymization enabled, or use a GDPR-native alternative like Plausible or Fathom
• Email marketing: Mailchimp, SendGrid, and Resend all have GDPR-compliant signup flows and DPAs available
• Cloud infrastructure: AWS, GCP, and Azure all offer EU data residency options — if your users are primarily in Europe, consider EU regions
• Authentication: Supabase and Auth0 both support GDPR data deletion APIs

GDPR compliance is not a one-time checkbox. It's an ongoing practice of collecting less data than you think you need, being honest with users about what you do with it, and maintaining the infrastructure to honor their rights. Start simple, stay consistent, and layer complexity only where your actual risk profile demands it.