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GDPR: US news sites unavailable to EU users over data protection rules

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Re: GDPR: US news sites unavailable to EU users over data protection rules

#2
> News sites within the Tronc and Lee Enterprises media publishing groups were affected.

> Tronc's high-profile sites include the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Orlando Sentinel and Baltimore Sun.

Why would either of these papers be subject to the GPDR? Am I wrong in assuming they’re purely US based companies? Or is there a chain of ownership that includes EU jurisdiction?

Re: GDPR: US news sites unavailable to EU users over data protection rules

#3
post #2

> News sites within the Tronc and Lee Enterprises media publishing groups were affected. > Tronc's high-profile sites include the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Orlando Sentinel and Baltimore Sun. Why would either of these papers be subject to the GPDR? Am I wrong in assuming they’re purely US based companies? Or is there a chain of ownership that includes EU jurisdiction?

If they have readers that are physically in the EU, then those readers would be covered by the GDPR.

Re: GDPR: US news sites unavailable to EU users over data protection rules

#6
post #3
post #2

> News sites within the Tronc and Lee Enterprises media publishing groups were affected. > Tronc's high-profile sites include the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Orlando Sentinel and Baltimore Sun. Why would either of these papers be subject to the GPDR? Am I wrong in assuming they’re purely US based companies? Or is there a chain of ownership that includes EU jurisdiction?

If they have readers that are physically in the EU, then those readers would be covered by the GDPR.

As long as there is no business relationship to any EU entity they would not be "doing business in the EU", would they?

I doubt making a website available on the global internet would be seen as "doing business in the EU".

Re: GDPR: US news sites unavailable to EU users over data protection rules

#7
Here's what I get when I try to visit the LA Times:

> 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. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.

Re: GDPR: US news sites unavailable to EU users over data protection rules

#8
post #4

I won't miss them. Why would I need to know about local news from places over 5000 km away? Luckily there is still archive.is and the Internet Archive for exceptional articles that pop up on HN.

For many of us the meaning of the internet itself is being able to access things at 5000 km away.

Re: GDPR: US news sites unavailable to EU users over data protection rules

#9
Blocking access at geographic level across pretty clear signal they don't care about users/readers in those regions (I think it's hard to argue otherwise, the law has been coming for 2 years).

Obviously they cater to people interested in local news in those regions. However, I hope they will rectify and allow access again for EU users at some point soon. It seems to go against the idea of a borderless internet, and I blame the companies for that, not the EU.

Re: GDPR: US news sites unavailable to EU users over data protection rules

#10
Things like this will test how much EU citizens value their privacy. Of course there will be some sites they will not be able to visit but time will show if they are okay with that.

These rules are very similar to rules limiting loans. No matter how desperate a person is and how low credit they have, in the US you can't give them a loan for above a certain amount of interest. That could be terrible for a poor person who is about to be evicted if they don't get some money right away. But we as a society are willing to accept that if the result is that more loans will be "reasonable".

If GDPR is enforced as HN people say it will be (in a good way) then the result will probably be that a lot of free websites ban EU users and smaller companies take their place with products that either cost money or will be a bit worse.

If it enforced in a bad way then big companies who can navigate the law will get bigger because their small competitors will be to afraid of the law and shut EU users out.

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