Data breaches are becoming alarmingly common. In the second quarter of 2025 alone, nearly 94 million records were exposed, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. For businesses running CRM campaigns, this is a wake-up call: handling customer data responsibly isn’t just a legal obligation—it’s essential for maintaining trust and protecting your brand.
Laws like the GDPR and CCPA establish strict rules for the collection, storage, and use of customers' personal data. Non-compliance with such rules can result in hefty fines, legal action, and a damaged reputation.
In this blog, we cover what GDPR and CCPA are, their similarities and differences, why compliance matters in CRM campaigns, and how these laws apply to CRMs. You’ll also learn best practices of GDPR and CCPA compliance in CRM campaigns, common pitfalls to avoid, and how Unlayer helps CRM teams stay compliant.
What Is GDPR?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is Europe’s landmark privacy law that sets the rules for how organizations handle the personal data of individuals in the European Union. What makes it especially powerful is that it doesn’t just apply to companies in Europe—it affects any business anywhere that processes the data of EU citizens.
Key principles include:
Lawfulness & Transparency: Process data fairly and clearly explain how it will be used.
Purpose Limitation and Data Minimization: Collect customer data only for clear, legitimate reasons, and keep only what’s necessary to fulfill those purposes. Avoid gathering extra or speculative information.
Accuracy and Storage Limitations: Make sure the data is correct and up-to-date. Don’t store it longer than required.
Integrity and confidentiality: Personal details must be secured against unauthorized access, breaches, or leaks.
GDPR also grants individuals important rights, such as accessing their data, correcting inaccuracies, requesting deletion (“right to be forgotten”), and restricting processing.
What Is CCPA?
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) protects residents of California by giving them control over how businesses collect, share, and sell their personal information. While it focuses specifically on California, its influence is spreading, inspiring similar privacy laws across the US.
Key consumer rights under CCPA include:
Right to Know: You have the right to ask any business what personal data they collect about you, why they collect it, and how it’s being used.
Right to Delete: If you don’t want a company holding onto your personal information, you can request that it be deleted.
Right to Opt-Out of Sale: You can choose not to have your data sold to third parties.
Non-Discrimination: Exercising your privacy rights shouldn’t come with penalties. Companies cannot treat you differently or restrict services just because you’ve chosen to protect your data.
GDPR vs. CCPA: Understanding Similarities and Differences
As businesses navigate data privacy laws, understanding how these laws overlap and differ from one another is essential, especially when running CRM campaigns.
How GDPR and CCPA are similar
Despite differences in geography and scope, both regulations share common goals, such as:
Both laws require businesses to handle personal data responsibly and securely.
Companies must clearly inform users about the data they collect and how it is used.
Both give individuals the right to access their data and request certain actions, such as deletion.
Companies must maintain records and processes to demonstrate compliance.
Violations of either law can lead to significant fines and legal consequences.
How GDPR and CCPA are different
Aspect | GDPR | CCPA |
Type of Law | Regulatory law | Statutory law |
Subjected Entities | Any organization processing personal data of individuals in the EU/EEA | For-profit businesses handling the personal data of California residents |
Type of Data Covered | Personal data as defined under EU law (narrower scope compared to CCPA) | Broader scope including biometric info and inferred personal data |
Disclosure to Users | Organizations must provide detailed information about data use, retention, and the right to withdraw consent | Businesses must disclose how personal data is collected and used |
Rights of Users | Access, correction, deletion, and right to object or restrict data processing | Access, correction, deletion, and right to opt-out of sale of personal data |
Right to Opt-Out | Requires explicit consent before collecting personal data | Businesses can gather personal data from users as long as they provide an opt-out option |
Age of Consent | Parental consent required for children under 16 | Parental consent required for children under 13 |
Cookie Control | Explicit consent required before storing cookies on devices | No explicit consent required for storing cookies |
Security Requirements | Organizations must implement adequate technical and organizational measures to protect data | No specific requirements |
Fines and Penalties as of 2025 | Minor violations: Up to €10 million or 2% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher
| -Not more than $2,663 per violation -Or $7,988 for every intentional violation or violation involving personal information of consumers under 16 when the business knew their age |
Enforcing Authority | EU Commission, European Data Protection Board (EDPB), and data protection authorities in EU Member States | California Attorney General |
Why Compliance Matters in CRM Campaigns
Compliance isn’t just a legal formality—it’s the backbone of trust in every customer relationship. CRM systems store highly sensitive information, from contact details and purchase histories to behavioral insights and engagement patterns. Misusing this data, collecting more than necessary, or failing to protect it can put customers at risk and leave businesses vulnerable to lawsuits, hefty fines, and long-term reputational damage.
With GDPR and CCPA raising the standard for data protection worldwide, people are paying closer attention to how their personal information is collected and managed. They expect clarity, honesty, and control over their data, and they reward brands that respect these expectations.
For CRM teams, compliance brings tangible benefits. It encourages customers to share accurate data, knowing it’s safe. It ensures campaigns are ethical, personalized, and privacy-conscious. And it positions your brand as one that values people over shortcuts—a critical differentiator in a world where trust is increasingly scarce.
How GDPR and CCPA Apply to CRM Campaigns
Understanding how both laws apply to CRM campaigns is crucial for maintaining compliance, ethics, and trustworthiness while delivering personalized, targeted experiences.
Data collection and consent management
Effective compliance starts at the point of data collection. In CRM campaigns, this means ensuring that every email signup, landing page form, pop-up, or in-app interaction follows privacy regulations.
Provide users with dashboards that enable them to easily manage communication preferences, opt in or out of specific channels, and update their contact details.
Clearly explain what data is collected, why it’s collected, and how it will be used. Avoid vague language—consent should always be informed, freely given, and unambiguous.
Only include users who have provided consent for particular communications. This avoids legal risks and increases engagement by targeting genuinely interested recipients.
Data storage and security
Once customer data is collected, protecting it from unauthorized access, loss, or breaches is critical.
All customer data should be encrypted at rest and in transit. Use platforms that provide built-in encryption and secure database management for CRM campaigns.
Limit access to customer data strictly to the people who need it to run or manage a campaign. This helps prevent unnecessary exposure and keeps your team accountable for how data is handled.
Maintain detailed logs of who accesses or modifies data, when, and why. These records are essential for regulatory audits, internal reviews, and quickly addressing any security incidents.
Define how long customer details will be stored and automatically delete or anonymize them once they’re no longer needed, in compliance with GDPR and other privacy regulations.
Data access, portability, and deletion
Individuals have the right to access, transfer, and remove their personal data. CRM campaigns must be designed to honor these rights efficiently.
Enable users to easily request a copy of their personal data stored in your CRM. Provide it in a readable and structured format.
Facilitate seamless transfer of customer data to another service provider in a machine-readable format.
Automate workflows for users who request the deletion of their data. Ensure that it is removed from all campaign touchpoints, including email lists, landing pages, and analytics tools.
Track and log all access, portability, and deletion requests to maintain transparency and regulatory compliance.
Tracking and profiling
Many CRM campaigns rely on behavioral tracking for personalization, segmentation, and retargeting. Compliance requires careful handling of this data.
Only track user behavior—like email opens, clicks, or website activity—if the individual has explicitly consented (GDPR) or has not opted out (CCPA).
Let users choose which types of tracking they accept, such as product recommendations, analytics, or marketing automation.
Clearly inform users about what information is being tracked, why, and how it will influence the campaigns they receive.
Avoid building detailed behavioral profiles or using predictive analytics on users who haven’t given consent.
7 Best Practices for GDPR & CCPA Compliance in CRM Campaigns
Running compliant CRM campaigns requires more than just understanding the law—it demands consistent, actionable practices integrated into every step of the campaign workflow.
Below are proven best practices to help marketers, CRM admins, and developers maintain compliance while running effective campaigns.
Clear Consent: Always ask users explicitly if they want to hear from you, and let them choose the types of messages they receive. Keep a record of their consent so you can prove it if needed.
Minimize & Verify Data: Only collect the information you truly need for your campaigns. Regularly clean your CRM and double-check that the customer information you have is accurate and up to date.
Secure Storage & Access: Encrypt data at rest and in transit, apply role-based access controls, and maintain detailed audit logs. Define retention policies and delete or anonymize data once it’s no longer needed.
Data Subject Rights: Ensure users can easily view, update, export, or delete their data. Automate workflows to handle requests quickly and efficiently.
Responsible Tracking: Track and segment users only if they have explicitly consented. Be transparent about the purpose of tracking and always respect opt-out preferences.
Educate Teams: Train all relevant staff on GDPR and CCPA requirements. Use internal checklists for campaigns and conduct regular audits to ensure compliance.
Maintain Documentation: Keep thorough, organized records of consents, requests, and compliance actions. Well-documented processes make audits simpler and show that your team takes data privacy seriously.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Collecting Data Without Proper Consent: Using pre-ticked boxes or implied consent can violate GDPR’s strict opt-in rules and lead to fines. Always ensure consent is explicit and recorded.
Over-Collecting or Storing Unnecessary Data: Collecting more data than needed or keeping outdated records increases risk in case of breaches and violates data minimization principles.
Ignoring User Rights Requests: Failing to respond promptly to requests for access, deletion, or portability can cause heavy fines and a loss of customer trust.
Inadequate Security Measures: Weak encryption, poor password policies, or unrestricted access make personal data vulnerable to breaches and non-compliance.
Mismanaging Tracking and Profiling: Using behavioral data for segmentation or personalization without consent violates GDPR and CCPA and can harm customer trust.
Failing to Educate Teams: Lack of training across marketing, design, or CRM teams can result in errors, inconsistent processes, and accidental non-compliance.
Poor Documentation and Record-Keeping: Insufficient logs of consents, requests, or campaign workflows make it difficult to prove compliance during audits or investigations.
Keep Your CRM Campaigns Compliant—Effortlessly With Unlayer
GDPR and CCPA compliance in CRM campaigns has become crucial. With Unlayer embedded directly into your CRM, compliance becomes a seamless part of your campaigns rather than an afterthought.
Secure Storage and Integration: Unlayer’s platform ensures that all assets and campaign data are securely stored and can be integrated with the CRM without exposing personal data to third-party risks.
Role-Based Permissions: Assign access based on roles so only the right people can view or edit customer data. This reduces the risk of unauthorized access and keeps your CRM aligned with privacy regulations.
Audit Trail and Tracking: Every change, comment, or approval in campaigns is tracked, helping CRMs maintain audit-ready logs for regulatory purposes.
Compliance Monitoring: Continuous oversight of campaigns and platform activities to ensure ongoing adherence to GDPR and other data privacy regulations.
Embed Unlayer to make compliance effortless in your CRM campaigns — Get Started Now!
FAQs About GDPR and CCPA Compliance in CRM Campaigns
Q1. What is GDPR in CRM?
GDPR ensures that every step of handling personal data—collecting it, storing it, and using it—is done legally and securely. This protects individuals’ rights and helps businesses keep their CRM campaigns aligned with data privacy standards.
Q2. What happens if a user requests that their data be deleted?
Well, the CRM should automatically remove all personal data related to that user from active campaigns and databases, and confirm completion with an audit log.
Q3. How often should compliance reports be generated?
Generate compliance reports on a regular schedule—monthly or quarterly, depending on your campaign activity and regulatory requirements. This keeps your team audit-ready and ensures you always have a clear view of how customer data is being handled.
Q4. Are templates and prebuilt blocks safe to use under privacy laws?
Yes, as long as they do not capture personal data without a user’s explicit consent. Prebuilt templates are highly configurable, allowing you to control exactly what data is collected and ensure that all forms, tracking elements, and automation triggers meet GDPR and CCPA standards.
Q5. Is it safe to use third-party integrations in CRM campaigns?
Third-party tools can be used safely if they adhere to GDPR/CCPA standards, encrypt data, and provide proper consent management features. Always vet vendors for compliance.