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I actually agree with almost 100% of this. The EU should pass laws however they want according to whatever legal framework they want. And companies wishing to d

I actually agree with almost 100% of this. The EU should pass laws however they want according to whatever legal framework they want. And companies wishing to do business there should comply. I still think it’s a poorly written and vague law, but perhaps that’s just my distrust of bureaucracy speaking. My real issue with the law is primarily that the EU thinks that it can assert that it has global jurisdiction with regard to the GDPR. This is so undemocratic and dangerous, it boggles my mind that fans of the GDPR can’t see it. Just because you like the intent of the law doesn’t mean you can admit that it goes too far, or sets bad precedent, or is likely to be abused. If Saudi Arabia passes anti-blasphemy laws and says they apply globally if a citizen of theirs visits your website, should anyone care? GDPR is being taken seriously by firms with enforcement exposure. My hope is that every other organization in the world just ignores it. It’s a dangerous precedent. And then there’s my issue with the fans of the law who will read the above and come back with the vapid response: “well, if you’re not going to comply then clearly you’re shady and I hope you do go out of business.”

henrikschroder 8y ago
It doesn't assert global jurisdiction, what makes you think that? If you have a legal or business presence in the EU, you will be affected, because that puts you inside the EU jurisdiction. Note that Facebook/Google/Apple/Microsoft/Amazon/Samsung/etc have a substantial presence in the EU; employees, offices, shops, data-centers, customers, which is why they are affected by the GDPR, and the EU is giving them the choice to either comply, or pull out. If you have a small business in the US, you can safely ignore the GDPR, because there are no avenues of enforcement against you, because you're not inside the jurisdiction. Non-US companies get sued in US courts all the time, and nothing comes of that either. > If Saudi Arabia passes anti-blasphemy laws and says they apply globally if a citizen of theirs visits your website, should anyone care? Everyone doing business with Saudi Arabia should care. Is this not self-evident to you?
- ryanwaggoner 8y ago
  If you have a legal or business presence in the EU, you will be affected, because that puts you inside the EU jurisdiction. If only this were true. Under the GDPR, an EU resident sending their info to me anywhere else in the world apparently constitutes me doing business in the EU in their eyes. That’s their claim of global jurisdiction. Fortunately, they can’t actually enforce this, so I’ll be ignoring it, just like I would for Saudi Arabian anti-blasphemy laws.
  - henrikschroder 8y ago
    > Fortunately, they can’t actually enforce this, so I’ll be ignoring it, just like I would for Saudi Arabian anti-blasphemy laws. Yes! That is exactly the right position to take as a US company! Anyone claiming differently is most probably peddling snake-oil in the form of "GDPR compliance".

henrikschroder 8y ago

It doesn't assert global jurisdiction, what makes you think that? If you have a legal or business presence in the EU, you will be affected, because that puts you inside the EU jurisdiction. Note that Facebook/Google/Apple/Microsoft/Amazon/Samsung/etc have a substantial presence in the EU; employees, offices, shops, data-centers, customers, which is why they are affected by the GDPR, and the EU is giving them the choice to either comply, or pull out. If you have a small business in the US, you can safely ignore the GDPR, because there are no avenues of enforcement against you, because you're not inside the jurisdiction. Non-US companies get sued in US courts all the time, and nothing comes of that either. > If Saudi Arabia passes anti-blasphemy laws and says they apply globally if a citizen of theirs visits your website, should anyone care? Everyone doing business with Saudi Arabia should care. Is this not self-evident to you?

ryanwaggoner 8y ago
If you have a legal or business presence in the EU, you will be affected, because that puts you inside the EU jurisdiction. If only this were true. Under the GDPR, an EU resident sending their info to me anywhere else in the world apparently constitutes me doing business in the EU in their eyes. That’s their claim of global jurisdiction. Fortunately, they can’t actually enforce this, so I’ll be ignoring it, just like I would for Saudi Arabian anti-blasphemy laws.
- henrikschroder 8y ago
  > Fortunately, they can’t actually enforce this, so I’ll be ignoring it, just like I would for Saudi Arabian anti-blasphemy laws. Yes! That is exactly the right position to take as a US company! Anyone claiming differently is most probably peddling snake-oil in the form of "GDPR compliance".