Yeah I struggle to see how all these businesses which are panicking over GDPR could ever have been compliant with, for example, the UK DPR which has been in eff

Yeah I struggle to see how all these businesses which are panicking over GDPR could ever have been compliant with, for example, the UK DPR which has been in effect for a very long time and has many of the same requirements. The biggest change going to GDPR is clearer definitions of what a data controller is and data processors and new restrictions on "automated decision making". The ability to view, delete and demand data be accurate has long been a requirement of meeting UK data protection laws and I'm sure many other countries too. It seems that businesses just ignored the law until it came with fines worth worrying about. A bit like the VATMOSS changes where US businesses were worrying they would have to start dealing with EU VAT even though that was the case previously.