5 ms·

I don't mean this sarcastically, but why? It sounds like this impacts users that willingly signed up for this service. Why would you VPN/forward mail through Eu

I don't mean this sarcastically, but why? It sounds like this impacts users that willingly signed up for this service. Why would you VPN/forward mail through Europe to be locked out of services that you signed up for?

dijit 9y ago
Because a company being unable to comply with GDPR is a red flag for how they treat user data. GDPR is written in such a way that you as a company are given freedom to use data if its for business reasons. But you need you need to keep track of it. Enhanced data protections are a good reason to (by default) be a European.
- taeric 9y ago
  I think the point is that this would be a good reason to go elsewhere. However, if you have already signed up, it is a silly way to lock yourself out of something you have signed up for. Which is to reveal the point of the VPN idea. Instead of having to do a lot of extra research on all companies you deal with to know who can comply with the style of rules that GDPR requires, being VPN'd might force them to reveal themselves to you. At least, that is my guess on what each of those posts was getting at.
  - derefr 9y ago
    I think the GP is assuming that there will be services that don’t close to the EU; nor become 100% GDPR compliant for every user; but rather become GDPR-compliant for EU users while continuing to sell the data of non-EU users.
- oneeyedpigeon 9y ago
  > if its for business reasons How could a company use it for anything else?
- lucb1e 9y ago
  Same with the cookiewall, by the way: if you need a cookie wall, that means you do more than aggregated statistics such as building profiles of individuals. Even if you have accounts, you don't need a cookie wall for a login system. Only if you do tracking. People see it as "govt doesn't understand tech again" but I think in reality, it's the people that completely missed the point here.
  - oneeyedpigeon 9y ago
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loVjrNFJAik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loVjrNFJAik The form on the ICO's website is still exactly as absurd today as it was 6 years ago.
neotrope 9y ago
If you’re believed to be a EU resident, you’re granted associated user protections. For example, if an EU resident browsing Facebook enjoys a higher level of privacy, it’s not hard to see the value.
- gerdesj 9y ago
  Good grief, we are now considered a safe haven, before anything has actually happened 8) It does seem a bit odd that EU legislation is being seen as a talisman of protection by some North Americans to protect themselves from their own Silicon Valley multi billionaire disruptives. Perhaps charitably minded EU citizens could donate a VPN connection to needy US citizens? We could cover the whole lot (1:1) and still have capacity for a few million more. LOL, l8ers 8)
  - nojvek 9y ago
    Well GDPR is a god send to the world when every Silicon Valley billionaire is trying to sell your data to the highest bidder to increase their valuation. It’s a relief in the madness that we consider normal. I want a chrome plugin that GDPRs the shit out of websites and enforces maximum privacy on any website I visit.
- offbytwo 9y ago
  If you care about your privacy you shouldn't be using facebook. Kind of insane that people need the government to make these decisions for them.
  - jarfil 9y ago
    It's an enforcement of individual decision, not a decision replacing users' ones. If I want to use Facebook to some extent but stop them from selling all my data to everyone, I may need something more than just their word to make sure they respect my decision.
    - offbytwo 9y ago
ddtaylor 9y ago
Apparently keeping a fake postal address and using a VPN is easier than simply not voluntarily giving out information.
- oneeyedpigeon 9y ago
  I guess it could help answer the "should I give this website any information?" question, unless you're advocating never giving any information to any website.
- lucb1e 9y ago
  It's not always so voluntary, unfortunately.
  - ddtaylor 9y ago
    It can be prevented though, since the "victim" is the one enabling the crime. It's kind of like a "predatory lender"
- jdietrich 9y ago
  You are not the only source of information about you. Information that you have wittingly or unwittingly given out is freely bought and sold. Your friends and family are constantly feeding information about you to Facebook. Your colleagues are feeding information about you to LinkedIn. Outside of the EU, there's nothing you can do about this stealthy collection and aggregation of personal information. There's a ratcheting loss of privacy, because once your information has been given away, it can't be taken back. Under the GDPR, a business needs my explicit consent to share my data with third parties. They can't bury it in the T&Cs or refuse to do business with me if I decline to tick the "do what you want with my data" box. That consent is granular and revocable. I can ask any business to delete every piece of information they hold about me, a broad category of data or a specific piece of information. Unless they're obliged by some other legislation to keep that data, then they're obliged to delete it. The GDPR isn't about protecting individuals from their own stupid choices, it's about protecting them from predatory business practices. We've become resigned to the fact that many businesses operate like a surveillance state, but that doesn't make it right or proper. We shouldn't have to live like the Amish just to keep control of our personal information.
Toboe 9y ago
I could think of two reasons: Using EU-lockout as a red flag for the GDPR non-compliant. So if they try to use something and get a "nope, not for EU" their thought would be "must have overlooked how that offer is scam-y, better not use" and Getting extra rights from the GDPR compliant.

dijit 9y ago

Because a company being unable to comply with GDPR is a red flag for how they treat user data. GDPR is written in such a way that you as a company are given freedom to use data if its for business reasons. But you need you need to keep track of it. Enhanced data protections are a good reason to (by default) be a European.

taeric 9y ago
I think the point is that this would be a good reason to go elsewhere. However, if you have already signed up, it is a silly way to lock yourself out of something you have signed up for. Which is to reveal the point of the VPN idea. Instead of having to do a lot of extra research on all companies you deal with to know who can comply with the style of rules that GDPR requires, being VPN'd might force them to reveal themselves to you. At least, that is my guess on what each of those posts was getting at.
- derefr 9y ago
  I think the GP is assuming that there will be services that don’t close to the EU; nor become 100% GDPR compliant for every user; but rather become GDPR-compliant for EU users while continuing to sell the data of non-EU users.
oneeyedpigeon 9y ago
> if its for business reasons How could a company use it for anything else?
lucb1e 9y ago
Same with the cookiewall, by the way: if you need a cookie wall, that means you do more than aggregated statistics such as building profiles of individuals. Even if you have accounts, you don't need a cookie wall for a login system. Only if you do tracking. People see it as "govt doesn't understand tech again" but I think in reality, it's the people that completely missed the point here.
- oneeyedpigeon 9y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loVjrNFJAik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loVjrNFJAik The form on the ICO's website is still exactly as absurd today as it was 6 years ago.

neotrope 9y ago

If you’re believed to be a EU resident, you’re granted associated user protections. For example, if an EU resident browsing Facebook enjoys a higher level of privacy, it’s not hard to see the value.

gerdesj 9y ago
Good grief, we are now considered a safe haven, before anything has actually happened 8) It does seem a bit odd that EU legislation is being seen as a talisman of protection by some North Americans to protect themselves from their own Silicon Valley multi billionaire disruptives. Perhaps charitably minded EU citizens could donate a VPN connection to needy US citizens? We could cover the whole lot (1:1) and still have capacity for a few million more. LOL, l8ers 8)
- nojvek 9y ago
  Well GDPR is a god send to the world when every Silicon Valley billionaire is trying to sell your data to the highest bidder to increase their valuation. It’s a relief in the madness that we consider normal. I want a chrome plugin that GDPRs the shit out of websites and enforces maximum privacy on any website I visit.
offbytwo 9y ago
If you care about your privacy you shouldn't be using facebook. Kind of insane that people need the government to make these decisions for them.
- jarfil 9y ago
  It's an enforcement of individual decision, not a decision replacing users' ones. If I want to use Facebook to some extent but stop them from selling all my data to everyone, I may need something more than just their word to make sure they respect my decision.
  - offbytwo 9y ago

ddtaylor 9y ago

Apparently keeping a fake postal address and using a VPN is easier than simply not voluntarily giving out information.

oneeyedpigeon 9y ago
I guess it could help answer the "should I give this website any information?" question, unless you're advocating never giving any information to any website.
lucb1e 9y ago
It's not always so voluntary, unfortunately.
- ddtaylor 9y ago
  It can be prevented though, since the "victim" is the one enabling the crime. It's kind of like a "predatory lender"
jdietrich 9y ago
You are not the only source of information about you. Information that you have wittingly or unwittingly given out is freely bought and sold. Your friends and family are constantly feeding information about you to Facebook. Your colleagues are feeding information about you to LinkedIn. Outside of the EU, there's nothing you can do about this stealthy collection and aggregation of personal information. There's a ratcheting loss of privacy, because once your information has been given away, it can't be taken back. Under the GDPR, a business needs my explicit consent to share my data with third parties. They can't bury it in the T&Cs or refuse to do business with me if I decline to tick the "do what you want with my data" box. That consent is granular and revocable. I can ask any business to delete every piece of information they hold about me, a broad category of data or a specific piece of information. Unless they're obliged by some other legislation to keep that data, then they're obliged to delete it. The GDPR isn't about protecting individuals from their own stupid choices, it's about protecting them from predatory business practices. We've become resigned to the fact that many businesses operate like a surveillance state, but that doesn't make it right or proper. We shouldn't have to live like the Amish just to keep control of our personal information.

Toboe 9y ago

I could think of two reasons: Using EU-lockout as a red flag for the GDPR non-compliant. So if they try to use something and get a "nope, not for EU" their thought would be "must have overlooked how that offer is scam-y, better not use" and Getting extra rights from the GDPR compliant.