Because of GDPR, it feels as though my internet access – my access to information – is now more restricted. I am constantly being interrupted by pop-ups that want me to agree to the website’s privacy policy, use of my data and so on, in order to “personalise my experience”. After recent revelations about unauthorised use of personal data, I’m wary of agreeing without checking what their proposals are, but I often just close the page because there are too many options and it’s too much of a bother. Am I being too paranoid? Barbara
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) only came into force on 25 May and it will take a while for some websites to adapt. Breaking the rules can result in fines of up to €20m, so at this point, information providers are probably more paranoid than you are.
Despite having two years’ warning, some companies were not prepared for GDPR’s arrival. Tronc, a giant American publisher, blocked access to the Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel and many other papers. A message says: “Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in most European countries. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to the EU market.”
Lee Enterprises, which owns 46 daily newspapers and more than 300 other publications, has taken the same approach. Try to read the Arizona Daily Starand you get an error message that says it is “Unavailable due to legal reasons”. The rubric explains: “We recognise you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore access cannot be granted at this time.”
For more read the full of article at The Guardian
