I'm curious if the GDPR is working as intended, and if it has actually reduced or eliminated online tracking of EU residents.
Ask HN: Could EU residents comment on how the GDPR has improved their privacy?
1–10 of 78 posts
Re: Ask HN: Could EU residents comment on how the GDPR has improved their privacy?
#2Yes it has. Companies are now forced to build architectures that take data classification and privacy in mind. It's been a really great addition and a important check on the data economy.
Re: Ask HN: Could EU residents comment on how the GDPR has improved their privacy?
#3It has definitely reduced the tracking. Due to degraded usability I use European websites less, so fewer companies have my data.
Re: Ask HN: Could EU residents comment on how the GDPR has improved their privacy?
#4Yes it has. Companies are now forced to build architectures that take data classification and privacy in mind. It's been a really great addition and a important check on the data economy.
Do you still receive targeted advertisements (assuming you have not opted-in to them)?
Re: Ask HN: Could EU residents comment on how the GDPR has improved their privacy?
#5I'd also be interested in knowing the tangible results on a individual level so far.
Re: Ask HN: Could EU residents comment on how the GDPR has improved their privacy?
#6Yes it has. Companies are now forced to build architectures that take data classification and privacy in mind. It's been a really great addition and a important check on the data economy.
Do you still receive targeted advertisements (assuming you have not opted-in to them)?
Unfortunately, yes. I haven't knowingly opted-in to anything. This may be a problem with the whole "click here to accept all these cookies" bullcrap that is on every site. I dont think this apparent benefit of the GDPR has worked - at all.
However, in the organisations I have worked with professionally, GDPR is absolutely working - user data collection, storage and security is now a leading conversation - whereas it was a afterthought before, at best. Of course, this isnt generally visible to the end user, and there are undoubtedly still businesses who ignore this - but i guess we wouldnt know unless there is an incident - in which case I would expect the EU to come down HARD.
I think its web-tracking and marketing in particular that still needs fixing.
Re: Ask HN: Could EU residents comment on how the GDPR has improved their privacy?
#7Yes it has. Companies are now forced to build architectures that take data classification and privacy in mind. It's been a really great addition and a important check on the data economy.
Do you still receive targeted advertisements (assuming you have not opted-in to them)?
I stopped receiving quite a bunch of various newsletters/proposals was kinda funny reading all the cries for "come give us your consent" few days before GDPR was fully enforced. Overall it is a lot less likely to start receiving various advertisement sms/email after providing your data in some new place.
Re: Ask HN: Could EU residents comment on how the GDPR has improved their privacy?
#8US expat in Berlin: I hate the cookie consent pop-ups. I wish it just banned cookies altogether. But that would probably break too much.
A friend of mine has used the GDPR give-me-my-data / delete-my-data email to expose companies doing shady stuff as they’re afraid of penalties under the law.
Re: Ask HN: Could EU residents comment on how the GDPR has improved their privacy?
#9GDPR is trade restriction as the notion of "digital privacy" is perpetrated by those who want to restrain US tech companies.
Re: Ask HN: Could EU residents comment on how the GDPR has improved their privacy?
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you still receive targeted advertisements (assuming you have not opted-in to them)?
Unfortunately, yes. I haven't knowingly opted-in to anything. This may be a problem with the whole "click here to accept all these cookies" bullcrap that is on every site. I dont think this apparent benefit of the GDPR has worked - at all. However, in the organisations I have worked with professionally, GDPR is absolutely working - user data collection, storage and security is now a leading conversation - whereas it…
Accept cookies has nothing to do with GDPR.
GDPR has to do that if you provide your phone/mail to some shop or other service they can only use it to contact you with information directly related to their business, like processing your order etc. They can not send you marketing stuff unless you explicitly consented and must remove you from lists if you ask. Even delete your account if you ask (not the data tho).