GDPR Is Here To Stay…This Is What You Should Know

GDPR Is Here To Stay…

This Is What You Should Know

Even on just the day of GDPR enforcement, both Facebook and Google have been hit by a raft of lawsuits with regards to sharing private data. Violations were found by Max Schrems. He was a long-term critic of the companies’ data collection practices.  Facebook and Google have been hit with heavy lawsuits totalling  3.9 billion euros for Facebook and 3.7 billion euros for Google.

“They totally know that it’s going to be a violation,” he said. “They don’t even try to hide it.”

-Max Shrems  on Facebook and Google’s approach to GDPR

So what is GDPR?

GDPR ensures that there are a clear consent and justification for any personal data collection from users. As a result, a lot of companies have started to revise their privacy policies and collection practices. Many companies are finding it hard and are unprepared for enforcement. Although Google and Facebook both have released new policies to comply with the GDPR regulations, there is a controversy that their efforts do not comply with all the policies. There is controversy around how companies obtain consent for the privacy policies, as the ask users to check a box in order to access services. This all-or-nothing style of consent is a violation of GDPR’s provisions around particularized consent.

The lawsuits for these mega-corporations were broken into specific subcategories, where one was filed directly under Facebook, and two others were filed against their subsidiaries Instagram, WhatsApp, and even Google’s Android operating system. Both companies have tried finding ways around charges, arguing the time they spent preparing to meet the new requirements and battles between policymakers and these companies persist to this day. 

“We build privacy and security into our products from the very earliest stages,” Google said in a statement, “and are committed to complying with the EU GDPR.”

And the battle still persists…

Need some assistance updating your digital strategy? Talk to Us!