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I'm still struggling with the fact that the EU can compel me to add what will be a funnel shattering dialog to my onboarding. I've shelved a bunch of side proj

I'm still struggling with the fact that the EU can compel me to add what will be a funnel shattering dialog to my onboarding. I've shelved a bunch of side projects that I was excited to work on because I have no interest in dealing with any of this ambiguous law. Implementing it would most likely cause a large percentage of users to uninstall my app, because who wants to be greeted with a scary sounding dialog as their first experience in an app. I know many folks here are privacy oriented, but unless this tiny slice of the population is willing to fund my app, I have 0 interest in pandering to them vs the majority of users that would get scared away by it. I know that there's an almost 0% chance of any repercussion for not being compliant in a tiny app that'll probably never get anywhere, but I'm just so sickened by this whole thing that I don't want to deal with any of it.

Symbiote 8y ago
A significant proportion of the 500 million citizens of the EU are "privacy oriented". If you can't keep our data safe, why should you be trusted with it?
- relics443 8y ago
  My point is, I have no clue what's collecting data in an improper way, and I'm not going to hire a lawyer for a hobby app. The amount of conflicting information about whether I do or don't need consent based on what services I use is just stupid. And I wouldn't even be showing ads. Part of the apps function is related to location, do I need consent? Maybe. It will use Firebase, do I need consent? Maybe. It will collect crash data so I can debug the stupid thing, do I need consent? Maybe. Etc...
  - hekfu 8y ago
    Welcome to the real world. If your little hobby project leaks the personal information of a real person, then they don't care how much of an unimportant side project it was to you. For purely personal use "hey guys, this is just a hobby use at your own risk" you won't get hit with gdpr Imagine if you were building cars for a hobby then selling them. Would you complain about all of those onerous regulations like seatbelts, crunch zones etc when all zou really want to do is tinker with some cool engine tech?
    - relics443 8y ago
      I don't see what leaking personal information has to do with collecting crash data, or using Google's infrastructure to store my data. Why should I have to be on the hook for what is most definitely much safer than trying to safeguard the data myself? Like I said, all it will accomplish is discouraging projects like mine that aim to provide utility to some people. One of my released hobby apps is no great commercial success (I don't show ads or collect revenue), but it's one of the top rated apps in its category on the Play Store, and I have about 20k DAU. If the GDPR ever came after me for it, I'd just take the app down. Bam, 20k people a day affected because of over regulation. Also, I wouldn't equate personalized ads with the life and death regulations involved in the auto industry.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
ewretgg 8y ago
If you were going to make apps that didn't safeguard the users data, and this law deterred you from doing so, then the law is working as intended.
- taysic 8y ago
  GDPR could have safeguarded data by demanding more transparency, still allowing apps to accept data as a form of payment through personalized ads. It's not obvious why they are requiring apps to provide the same service for free 'without detriment'. That destroys a number of business models. Why not just allow they give an option to not give their data if they are willing to pay?
  - ewretgg 8y ago
    > GDPR could have safeguarded data by demanding more transparency That would be a toothless regulation. It would just cause businesses to add more crap to their privacy policies, which nobody reads anyway, and doesn't impact user behavior. > It's not obvious why they are requiring apps to provide the same service for free 'without detriment' So that users can opt-out of having unnecessary data collected. You should only be collecting the data needed to run the service. If your business collapses when users opt-out, your business model was nothing but data harvesting to begin with, and probably doesn't deserve to exist. > That destroys a number of business models A number of exploitative business models that harm society and democracy. Works for me! > Why not just allow they give an option to not give their data if they are willing to pay? You can do that now. Stop collecting data that isn't necessary to run your service, and charge people money.
    - taysic 8y ago
      If they were smart about how transparent a business needed to be, I don't think it would be toothless at all. It would have given users more information about what is happening behind the scenes and allowed them to make their own decisions. > So that users can opt-out of having unnecessary data collected. You should only be collecting the data needed to run the service. If your business collapses when users opt-out, your business model was nothing but data harvesting to begin with, and probably doesn't deserve to exist. This is a really rosy view of things. The reality is that there are tons of apps / games / sites that people use and enjoy but would not pay for. And there are people who could not otherwise afford to pay for them but are able to enjoy them because personalized ads can be used as a form of payment. I would argue most of these things make the world a better place not a worse place. And that people should be able to choose how they want to pay for those services.
themacguffinman 8y ago
I think if your app isn't available in European regional Play/App Stores, you aren't considered to be targeting EU residents and you can safely ignore the GDPR.
- relics443 8y ago
  I've heard conflicting reports about that as well.

Symbiote 8y ago

A significant proportion of the 500 million citizens of the EU are "privacy oriented". If you can't keep our data safe, why should you be trusted with it?

relics443 8y ago
My point is, I have no clue what's collecting data in an improper way, and I'm not going to hire a lawyer for a hobby app. The amount of conflicting information about whether I do or don't need consent based on what services I use is just stupid. And I wouldn't even be showing ads. Part of the apps function is related to location, do I need consent? Maybe. It will use Firebase, do I need consent? Maybe. It will collect crash data so I can debug the stupid thing, do I need consent? Maybe. Etc...
- hekfu 8y ago
  Welcome to the real world. If your little hobby project leaks the personal information of a real person, then they don't care how much of an unimportant side project it was to you. For purely personal use "hey guys, this is just a hobby use at your own risk" you won't get hit with gdpr Imagine if you were building cars for a hobby then selling them. Would you complain about all of those onerous regulations like seatbelts, crunch zones etc when all zou really want to do is tinker with some cool engine tech?
  - relics443 8y ago
    I don't see what leaking personal information has to do with collecting crash data, or using Google's infrastructure to store my data. Why should I have to be on the hook for what is most definitely much safer than trying to safeguard the data myself? Like I said, all it will accomplish is discouraging projects like mine that aim to provide utility to some people. One of my released hobby apps is no great commercial success (I don't show ads or collect revenue), but it's one of the top rated apps in its category on the Play Store, and I have about 20k DAU. If the GDPR ever came after me for it, I'd just take the app down. Bam, 20k people a day affected because of over regulation. Also, I wouldn't equate personalized ads with the life and death regulations involved in the auto industry.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]

ewretgg 8y ago

If you were going to make apps that didn't safeguard the users data, and this law deterred you from doing so, then the law is working as intended.

taysic 8y ago
GDPR could have safeguarded data by demanding more transparency, still allowing apps to accept data as a form of payment through personalized ads. It's not obvious why they are requiring apps to provide the same service for free 'without detriment'. That destroys a number of business models. Why not just allow they give an option to not give their data if they are willing to pay?
- ewretgg 8y ago
  > GDPR could have safeguarded data by demanding more transparency That would be a toothless regulation. It would just cause businesses to add more crap to their privacy policies, which nobody reads anyway, and doesn't impact user behavior. > It's not obvious why they are requiring apps to provide the same service for free 'without detriment' So that users can opt-out of having unnecessary data collected. You should only be collecting the data needed to run the service. If your business collapses when users opt-out, your business model was nothing but data harvesting to begin with, and probably doesn't deserve to exist. > That destroys a number of business models A number of exploitative business models that harm society and democracy. Works for me! > Why not just allow they give an option to not give their data if they are willing to pay? You can do that now. Stop collecting data that isn't necessary to run your service, and charge people money.
  - taysic 8y ago
    If they were smart about how transparent a business needed to be, I don't think it would be toothless at all. It would have given users more information about what is happening behind the scenes and allowed them to make their own decisions. > So that users can opt-out of having unnecessary data collected. You should only be collecting the data needed to run the service. If your business collapses when users opt-out, your business model was nothing but data harvesting to begin with, and probably doesn't deserve to exist. This is a really rosy view of things. The reality is that there are tons of apps / games / sites that people use and enjoy but would not pay for. And there are people who could not otherwise afford to pay for them but are able to enjoy them because personalized ads can be used as a form of payment. I would argue most of these things make the world a better place not a worse place. And that people should be able to choose how they want to pay for those services.

themacguffinman 8y ago

I think if your app isn't available in European regional Play/App Stores, you aren't considered to be targeting EU residents and you can safely ignore the GDPR.

relics443 8y ago
I've heard conflicting reports about that as well.