7 ms·

Right now, it's not. Management has decided that we're going to keep operating the way we have been as if the GDPR didn't exist, and hope nobody notices. Which

Right now, it's not. Management has decided that we're going to keep operating the way we have been as if the GDPR didn't exist, and hope nobody notices. Which isn't a surprise, this company is very reactive. Proactive planning doesn't happen.

geofft 8y ago
Out of curiosity, what industry is the company in, and are you in Europe (either physically, or do you have a significant European market)?
- drspacemonkey 8y ago
  We're in fintech. And we're not in Europe, but we're about to start a big project targeted towards European users.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - jacquesm 8y ago
    Wow. That's a pretty interesting attitude to take. The consensus here among the M&A crowd is that either fintech, medtech or social media will be the verticals where one or more examples will be made. Best to hope none of your users complains to regulators.
    - KirinDave 8y ago
      If the have no EU customers, no examples can be made. It's up to residents of other to demand their governments give equal protections. We all know that won't happen in America.
    - drspacemonkey 8y ago
      We've already got users who fall under GDPR protection. Not as many as we will by the end of this year, but some. And really, I've done all I can do. I've talked it up, given powerpoint presentations, and emailed a comprehensive report about penalties for failing to comply as well as a project outline for becoming compliant.
      - jacquesm 8y ago
        I believe you. I know a few other cases like that and I really wonder how we got here. I've been CEO of a 25 people company with presence in both Canada and Europe, I would never ever chart a course like that but maybe I'm just too risk averse. In the beginning of Camarades.com/WW.com we had a lot of interaction with LE because of all the stuff our users got up to online and we tried very hard to comply with the various laws. It did not always work perfect but it worked well enough that we earned the respect of the various LE contacts that we had. I can only imagine how it would have ended if we had thumbed our nose at them. Going global means you need to change your attitude.
  - KirinDave 8y ago
    If you're not in Europe there's no obligation. I can appreciate the attitude even if I don't like it. Fintech is a REALLY difficult business to make money in. Especially with so many larger financial institutions coming in and buying any naive existential threat they see (coughs suggestively)
    - larsen161-2 8y ago
      No being based in Europe does not exclude a business from GDPR. "even if a US-based business has no employees or offices within the boundaries of the EU, the GDPR may still apply. Under Article 3 of the GDPR, your company is subject to the new law if it processes personal data of an individual residing in the EU when the data is accessed. This is the case where the processing relates to the offering of good or services or the monitoring of behavior that takes place in the EU." - https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=3a02f14c-828b-47ba-bb91-cbddb41bbce3 https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=3a02f14c-828b...

geofft 8y ago

Out of curiosity, what industry is the company in, and are you in Europe (either physically, or do you have a significant European market)?

drspacemonkey 8y ago
We're in fintech. And we're not in Europe, but we're about to start a big project targeted towards European users.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- jacquesm 8y ago
  Wow. That's a pretty interesting attitude to take. The consensus here among the M&A crowd is that either fintech, medtech or social media will be the verticals where one or more examples will be made. Best to hope none of your users complains to regulators.
  - KirinDave 8y ago
    If the have no EU customers, no examples can be made. It's up to residents of other to demand their governments give equal protections. We all know that won't happen in America.
  - drspacemonkey 8y ago
    We've already got users who fall under GDPR protection. Not as many as we will by the end of this year, but some. And really, I've done all I can do. I've talked it up, given powerpoint presentations, and emailed a comprehensive report about penalties for failing to comply as well as a project outline for becoming compliant.
    - jacquesm 8y ago
      I believe you. I know a few other cases like that and I really wonder how we got here. I've been CEO of a 25 people company with presence in both Canada and Europe, I would never ever chart a course like that but maybe I'm just too risk averse. In the beginning of Camarades.com/WW.com we had a lot of interaction with LE because of all the stuff our users got up to online and we tried very hard to comply with the various laws. It did not always work perfect but it worked well enough that we earned the respect of the various LE contacts that we had. I can only imagine how it would have ended if we had thumbed our nose at them. Going global means you need to change your attitude.
- KirinDave 8y ago
  If you're not in Europe there's no obligation. I can appreciate the attitude even if I don't like it. Fintech is a REALLY difficult business to make money in. Especially with so many larger financial institutions coming in and buying any naive existential threat they see (coughs suggestively)
  - larsen161-2 8y ago
    No being based in Europe does not exclude a business from GDPR. "even if a US-based business has no employees or offices within the boundaries of the EU, the GDPR may still apply. Under Article 3 of the GDPR, your company is subject to the new law if it processes personal data of an individual residing in the EU when the data is accessed. This is the case where the processing relates to the offering of good or services or the monitoring of behavior that takes place in the EU." - https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=3a02f14c-828b-47ba-bb91-cbddb41bbce3 https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=3a02f14c-828b...