Why RGPD Matters ?

Welcome to RCM's guide on the seven foundational principles of RGPD (Règlement Général sur la Protection des Données). Whether you're a Moroccan SME or consulting firm, understanding these principles is essential for legal compliance and client trust.

The 7 Principles Explained

1. Lawfulness, Fairness, and Transparency – Processing must be lawful, fair, and transparent. You need a valid legal basis (consent, contract, legal obligation, vital interests, public task, or legitimate interests), treat individuals fairly, and be transparent about data practices. Transparency means clear privacy notices in plain language explaining what data you collect, why, how long you keep it, who you share it with, and what rights individuals have.​​

2. Purpose Limitation – Data collected for one purpose cannot be repurposed without a new lawful basis. If you collect emails for a newsletter, you cannot use them for product recommendations without consent. Define exactly why you're collecting each data point and communicate this to individuals.​

3. Data Minimisation – Collect only what is necessary. Many businesses gather excessive information "just in case." RGPD demands you collect the minimum needed for your stated purpose. This reduces storage costs, simplifies security, and strengthens your regulatory position.​​

4. Accuracy – Keep data accurate and up-to-date. Inaccurate data undermines individual rights and can cause real harm. Implement data validation at entry points and create easy channels for individuals to correct their own data.​

5. Storage Limitation – Retain data no longer than necessary for its purpose. Define retention periods aligned with business needs and legal obligations, then automate deletion when those periods expire. Your retention policy must account for backups.​​

6. Integrity and Confidentiality – Implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures. This includes encryption, access controls, multi-factor authentication, staff training, and incident response procedures. RGPD doesn't mandate specific tools—it requires security "appropriate to the risk".​

7. Accountability – Demonstrate compliance through documentation. Maintain records of processing activities (ROPA), conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) for high-risk processing, and appoint a DPO where required. Accountability forces you to think deeply about practices and creates evidence if regulators investigate.​​

How These Principles Work Together

Start with transparency and lawfulness: identify your legal basis and communicate it clearly. Apply data minimisation and purpose limitation together: narrow your scope by collecting only necessary data for defined purposes. Ensure accuracy and storage limitation work in tandem: keep data accurate while retained, delete when purpose expires. Embed security throughout: from data entry to deletion. Document everything: your records prove you've genuinely implemented all seven principles.

Getting Started With RCM

For most organizations, these principles represent a significant operational shift. We recommend beginning with an audit: RCM assesses your current data practices against each principle, identifies gaps, and prioritizes remediation. From there, we develop an implementation roadmap tailored to your business size, industry, and risk tolerance.

Conclusion

The RGPD's seven principles reflect a reasonable philosophy: organizations should collect and use only necessary data, keep it accurate and secure, be transparent, and hold themselves accountable. Compliance isn't a burden but an investment in trust, efficiency, and resilience. At RCM, we've seen countless businesses transform their data practices by embracing these principles.

If you're ready to master these principles in your organization, contact RCM for a compliance consultation today.