Live data from Hacker News

Statement on 4 Years of GDPR

noyb.eu

1–10 of 195 posts

Re: Statement on 4 Years of GDPR

#3
post #2

Honestly, never saw the point of GDPR. You add additional expenses for something big abusers will just bypass, ignore or even worse just retract from the market.

The purpose of GDPR is to help abusers legitimise the data they collect. Before GDPR it was a grey area, because users didn't explicitly consent to anything - GDPR fixes that. Ubiquitous pop ups where you agree for your data to be collected and processed, trained users to consent to anything that comes their way and corporations now have legal basis to use, process and sell that data.

It was quite clever - make people believe the legislation is for their benefit, whereas in reality it has been created to help with data abuse and make money off of it.

Re: Statement on 4 Years of GDPR

#4
post #2

Honestly, never saw the point of GDPR. You add additional expenses for something big abusers will just bypass, ignore or even worse just retract from the market.

The point of GDPR is to smack companies that fail to meet it hard on the nose, so hard, in fact, that it might break. The maximum penalty is 2% of yearly turnover. That's hurtful even to megacorps. No one, not even them, needs a broken nose.

Re: Statement on 4 Years of GDPR

#5
post #2

Honestly, never saw the point of GDPR. You add additional expenses for something big abusers will just bypass, ignore or even worse just retract from the market.

The purpose of GDPR is to help abusers legitimise the data they collect. Before GDPR it was a grey area, because users didn't explicitly consent to anything - GDPR fixes that. Ubiquitous pop ups where you agree for your data to be collected and processed, trained users to consent to anything that comes their way and corporations now have legal basis to use, process and sell that data. It was quite clever - make peopl…

That's an unduly cynical take in my opinion. GDPR isn't about web sites and cookie preferences, although that is the most visible effect to users.

I'd happily replace that whole cookie mess.

Re: Statement on 4 Years of GDPR

#6
> Companies realize that competitors do not comply and that acting legally does not pay off. The wider non-compliance spreads, the harder it will get for authorities to gain back control with limited resources.

This is what makes writing good/effective law a non-trivial undertaking.

If the words on paper don't make positive sense, and negative behavior toward the words isn't backed up with punishment, then the effort corrodes and collapses.

Re: Statement on 4 Years of GDPR

#7
post #2

Honestly, never saw the point of GDPR. You add additional expenses for something big abusers will just bypass, ignore or even worse just retract from the market.

Well the idea is that with proper enforcement the big abusers shouldn't be able to bypass it. The legislation itself is sane, it's just that enforcement is lacking.

> even worse just retract from the market

I disagree that this is worse - if privacy-violating monopolies retract from the market then it opens the doors for privacy-respecting competition to take its place.

Re: Statement on 4 Years of GDPR

#8
post #2

Honestly, never saw the point of GDPR. You add additional expenses for something big abusers will just bypass, ignore or even worse just retract from the market.

The purpose of GDPR is to help abusers legitimise the data they collect. Before GDPR it was a grey area, because users didn't explicitly consent to anything - GDPR fixes that. Ubiquitous pop ups where you agree for your data to be collected and processed, trained users to consent to anything that comes their way and corporations now have legal basis to use, process and sell that data. It was quite clever - make peopl…

> trained users to consent to anything that comes their way and corporations now have legal basis to use, process and sell that data.

Sorta? I don't consent to much when I get the pop-up. You can revoke consent at any time as well and you're entitled to the data the company has on you.

Re: Statement on 4 Years of GDPR

#9
post #2

Honestly, never saw the point of GDPR. You add additional expenses for something big abusers will just bypass, ignore or even worse just retract from the market.

GDPR also opened the door for the eprivacy directive that brought us cookie law

Re: Statement on 4 Years of GDPR

#10
This is an excellent quote that reflects a notable share of opinions that I see in the comments here on HN whenever the GDPR is discussed:

> Hardly any other area of law is politicized to that extent – at least I have never heard that building or tax codes were openly ignored with the argument that compliance would “undermine the business model” of a company. The privacy bubble accepts such narratives as a legitimate argument.

Post reply on HN