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Study: Google is the biggest beneficiary of the GDPR

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

#101

Post by pmiller2 »

raziel414 wrote: post #52

I'm not surprised. I used to work on a team at Google that had to deal with GDPR (I still work at Google, but on a different team), and we had to get legal review for a lot use-cases. For example, we had a backup system that took snapshots of our user-provided data. If a user requested their data be purged, should we purge all the backups as well? Since we had legal counsel in house, it wasn't too terrible. For a sma…

More generally, I am wondering: how do smaller companies go about even attempting to comply with the GDPR? The “head in the sand” approach of simply not serving requests to people physically in the EU doesn’t work for a number of reasons, and I don’t see how you can even sell anything on the internet without being within its reach. (Of course, now that I think about it, how is the EU going to fine a small business in the US that has no overseas operations?)

Are there any resources for small businesses in the US that want to protect themselves from onerous fines the data regulators can impose? How can they even begin to assess the risks of noncompliance?

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

#102

Post by pmiller2 »

Angostura wrote: post #56
raziel414 wrote: post #52

I'm not surprised. I used to work on a team at Google that had to deal with GDPR (I still work at Google, but on a different team), and we had to get legal review for a lot use-cases. For example, we had a backup system that took snapshots of our user-provided data. If a user requested their data be purged, should we purge all the backups as well? Since we had legal counsel in house, it wasn't too terrible. For a sma…

You know what? It's only a huge burden for organisations that process a lot of personal data in a variety of interesting ways.

I disagree. The sheer magnitude of fines that can be imposed makes the potential damage huge, even if the probability of being hit by them is small. This makes the risk of noncompliance high.

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

#103

Post by anoncake »

oytis wrote: post #72
anoncake wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We, the people of the EU, have democratically decided that we don't want them.

I see a problem with people (even democratically) deciding for me. I'd rather like it to be settled down between myself and the website owner.

That does not work. You have no bargaining power.

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

#104

Post by awkward »

I'm surprised at the US number of trackers count - I would have expected some degree of free rider benefit for US based consumers. Otherwise, the numbers seem to bear out some consolidation, with web pages giving up trackers but more likely to hold onto boutique solutions (the ranked <150 group) for specialized needs.

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

#105

Post by pmiller2 »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #31
TekMol wrote: post #20

Plus it knocked a lot of potential competitors off the internet. I know multiple young startups and entrepreneurs in Europe that killed their projects/ideas because the additional burden of coping with GDPR was too much for them.

It's not that big a burden - just have an officer and don't collect certain types of data without the user's consent. If you can't do that minimal amount of effort and either ensure the user's privacy, or get the user's consent, then you shouldn't be in the business. It's like complaining about how new credit card businesses or banks can't just start up but need a load of compliancy. That was tried with cryptocurrenc…

You really don’t think having a data protection officer (even if not a dedicated one) isn’t a significant burden to a tiny business?

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

#106

Post by tjoff »

dlor wrote: post #94
Klathmon wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Using ML, tracking and profiling to give me ads for the fridge I did buy last week is not relevant Come on, that's not what they are trying to do and you know it. There's so many valid arguments you could make, why use a strawman? But the answer to your first question, is because ads targeted to users pay more, get more clicks, and overall perform better than those that are targeted to the page.

patio11 had a great back of the envelope calculation awhile ago on this. Turns out showing ads for a fridge right after you just bought one might be highly successful. Say the average person buys a fridge once every 10-20 years, the probability you're looking for a fridge this month is something like 1/120-1/240, call it .75 percent. Some percentage of fridge purchases end up being returned. Let's say 2 percent of th…

> ... might be highly successful.

Only in the context of the disastrous relevance of tracking.

Does tracking earn companies more than it costs users in added electricity? I doubt it.

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

#107

Post by Drakim »

kristianc wrote: post #68
Drakim wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that's not how GDPR works, if I agree to use a service it does not mean I agree to be tracked for a "more personalized experience". Facebook is even worse, they track me without me even having any interaction with them prior.

That’s exactly how GDPR works - Google will say that they are protected under the legitimate interest exemption.

Really, Google tracks me while I'm visiting a non-Google website (!!!), and they expect to be protected as having a "legitimate interest exception"?

Unless Google can successfully argue that every action, every step, every breath I take, is now a business transaction with them because I made a google account, then they don't have a "legitimate interest exception" for jack shit.

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

#108

Post by pmiller2 »

mocae wrote: post #28
TekMol wrote: post #20

Plus it knocked a lot of potential competitors off the internet. I know multiple young startups and entrepreneurs in Europe that killed their projects/ideas because the additional burden of coping with GDPR was too much for them.

Like who? Seriously. Besides that one blogger who was screaming because he didn't even want to bother with the help wordpress provided, I did not hear of a single person/company that quit because of that. It would also be quite embarrassing considering the time you had to prepare, the help that is all over now or the fact that nobody seems to enforce it. Especially for businesses.

Here you go: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/may/24/sites-blo...

First hit from a google search for “GDPR shut down”.

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

#109

Post by hddherman »

rbinv wrote: post #96
tpush wrote: post #55

Yeah, I wouldn't trust this source on anything privacy related. They present themselves as user privacy champions but primarily make money via, you guessed it, advertisements. They are owned by Burda, a large German media organization who, again, make money by advertisement and processing of their user's data. "We’re breaking new grounds when it comes to developing our business model. Bringing together targeting and…

This is also the company that acquired Ghostery.

And also the company that caused quite a stir when they partnered with Firefox to carry out a study, which included collecting and sending browser data to Cliqz servers.

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

#110

Post by pmiller2 »

realusername wrote: post #80
icebraining wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously. The Data Protection Directive alone already included most of the GDPR.

Not even going as far as IT, just labour laws are already 10x more complex and difficult to follow compared to GDPR.

Except that companies that don’t employ anyone in the EU don’t have to follow EU labor laws.
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