Why GDPR?
If you are an average internet user like I am, there is a good chance you must be experiencing a heavy influx of emails from different websites you use on a regular basis. And if not emails, then a pop-up on every website informing of changes in their privacy policy.
Now you must be wondering somewhere at the back of your mind, why is everyone updating privacy policy all of a sudden? Well, there is a pretty good explanation for it. It is the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (a.k.a. GDPR).
Why So Many Privacy Policy Updates?
Now that is a very good question! The answers of which lies in the new GDPR policies enforced by the EU on websites serving the EU populace.
According to the rules, every website which is catering to the EU’s population must have GDPR compliant privacy policy that states that no website is allowed to collect or use the data of EU residents without their prior permission.
This has enabled users to be in control of their data and created transparency between users and websites.
This is an appreciative move by the EU, but it has also resulted in many websites. Especially the ones based in the US to block out EU residents from accessing their websites as they are non-compliant.
The enforcement of the new regulations should be lauded as the fines for non-compliance. As a result, either the tune of €20 million or 4% of the company’s annual global revenue, whichever is higher.
One of the major GDPR privacy policy examples is Facebook who has pushed the updates at a quick pace since they have a substantial amount to lose that could add to their already pending lawsuits in the US over its breach and unlawful use of user data.
All major websites are now actively pushing out the updated privacy policy emails to their users to ensure the regulations are met. So anyone receiving the updates need not worry about the emails being spam, they are very genuine.
As a user, you might suffer some issues such as not being able to access some of your favorite websites due to the sudden blackout, but it is really just the companies working on their privacy policy updates to be in compliance.
The situation may sort out soon enough and everything may come back to normal. However, for assurance, especially to the EU residents there would be no more usage of their data without their permission.
Hence it includes the collection, distribution, and deletion. It’s definitely a good time to be an EU resident user today!
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