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Study: Google is the biggest beneficiary of the GDPR

cliqz.com

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Re: Study: Google is the biggest beneficiary of the GDPR

#3
The author of this article didn't bother to read even a summary of the GDPR law. It doesn't matter what the user consents to, you cannot use their personal data ad hoc. You need to justify its collection, storage and transfer to the regulator, not the user. This is in contrast to the ill thought out cookie law where websites could get away with it by irritating consent banners.

Sort of like, but not exactly the same as, those consent forms you sign when you go river rafting. They do not legally protect the rafting company from negligence. In fact, they're almost a waste of paper.

Re: Study: Google is the biggest beneficiary of the GDPR

#4
This was always going to be the case. Google benefits from having a direct relationship with the customer, meaning that consent is relatively trivial to get. None of these third party tracker companies have that relationship, so rely on securing opt ins on a piecemeal basis. This is why a large number of the third party tracker companies all shut up shop in Europe in the months before GDPR.

Re: Study: Google is the biggest beneficiary of the GDPR

#8
Is there any evidence of GDPR having the desired effect for which it was put in place? Is citizens' data being protected more than before?

The second-order effects that everyone predicted are already happening (big tech companies change nothing significant, many small companies shutting down).

The long-term and unforseen second-order effects have yet to bear fruit, as far as I know (please let me know if you've seen anything).

Re: Study: Google is the biggest beneficiary of the GDPR

#9

This was always going to be the case. Google benefits from having a direct relationship with the customer, meaning that consent is relatively trivial to get. None of these third party tracker companies have that relationship, so rely on securing opt ins on a piecemeal basis. This is why a large number of the third party tracker companies all shut up shop in Europe in the months before GDPR.

If I go to a random website and they serve third party google ads, I don't have a direct relationship with Google in that scenario. It's not enough to say that because I have a gmail account I consent to being tracked all over the web on every website.

Re: Study: Google is the biggest beneficiary of the GDPR

#10

The author of this article didn't bother to read even a summary of the GDPR law. It doesn't matter what the user consents to, you cannot use their personal data ad hoc. You need to justify its collection, storage and transfer to the regulator, not the user. This is in contrast to the ill thought out cookie law where websites could get away with it by irritating consent banners. Sort of like, but not exactly the same…

I bet rafting consent forms are still useful in the sense that they discourage most people with trivial-to-moderate injuries from thinking about holding the company liable.
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