GDPR | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Wed, 26 Jul 2023 08:51:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png GDPR | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Ubisoft will delete your account and games if you forget to sign in for too long https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ubisoft-will-delete-your-account-and-games-if-you-forget-to-sign-in-for-too-long/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ubisoft-will-delete-your-account-and-games-if-you-forget-to-sign-in-for-too-long/#respond Sun, 23 Jul 2023 08:17:27 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=624069 The age of digital gaming has brought along plenty of benefits, mainly quicker access to new games as well as saving space in the home. However, it also means that in many cases, we are beholden to the digital platform provider and their terms of service. Ubisoft recently confirmed that it will delete user accounts, as well as their purchased games if a user doesn't log in for a period of time. 

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The age of digital gaming has brought along plenty of benefits, mainly quicker access to new games as well as saving space in the home. However, it also means that in many cases, we are beholden to the digital platform provider and their terms of service. Ubisoft recently confirmed that it will delete user accounts, as well as their purchased games if a user doesn't log in for a period of time. 

Twitter user @PC_enjoyer recently posted a screenshot of a recent email from Ubisoft Support recently, stating that due to a period of inactivity on a Ubisoft Connect account, Ubisoft would close the account permanently in 30 days. We don't know how long the period of inactivity was, but the Ubisoft Support Twitter account did “chime in” to confirm that this is indeed a real Ubisoft email and the publisher is actively using this policy to purge old accounts.

Now the issue with this is that Ubisoft hasn't released a good game for a minute now. Personally, I haven't purchased a new Ubisoft title since Assassin's Creed Valhalla (2020) and I essentially only log into Ubisoft Connect once a year at this point to revisit Rainbow Six Siege for a day or two. If Rainbow Six Siege didn't exist, then there is now a good chance that my Ubisoft account and all associated games on it would have been deleted.

The other issue is that the email could easily be disregarded by the user as a phishing attempt, or get caught up in someone's spam filter. If you miss the email, your account and purchased games go away for good.

It is claimed that Ubisoft does this to comply with GDPR rules but the fact of the matter is, GDPR wasn't created to screw consumers out of their purchases and services like Steam do not do this and so far, no GDPR complaint has been brought forward, so this seems like the sort of thing Ubisoft could very easily stop doing.

This is essentially Ubisoft saying “remain engaged with our product or lose your purchases”. The timing here is questionable too, as Ubisoft has recently reported drops in yearly sales of games and has been struggling to find its next hit in between major Assassin's Creed titles.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: If you stop shopping at Tescos, nobody from the store is going to come to your house and try to take the items back. Why this sort of scenario would be deemed acceptable in the digital space is absolutely beyond me.  

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Twitter fined €450,000 over GDPR violation https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/twitter-fined-e450000-over-gdpr-violation/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/twitter-fined-e450000-over-gdpr-violation/#respond Tue, 15 Dec 2020 16:50:30 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=498215 The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was rolled out across the EU back in 2018 and since then, we haven't seen many major fines in the tech or social media space. That changed today, with Ireland's Data Protection Commission officially fining Twitter €450,000 over a data breach. The data breach was disclosed by Twitter back …

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The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was rolled out across the EU back in 2018 and since then, we haven't seen many major fines in the tech or social media space. That changed today, with Ireland's Data Protection Commission officially fining Twitter €450,000 over a data breach.

The data breach was disclosed by Twitter back in January 2019. The breach exposed private tweets for Android users over the course of four years. Due to this, the Data Protection Commission is ruling that Twitter violated the EU's GDPR rules, as disclosure of the security breach did not come within 72 hours of it first being discovered.

Ireland's DPC initially revealed its decision earlier this year, but objections were raised by other regulators. The case then went through a dispute resolution process, which delayed the fine being issued until now.

As pointed out by The Verge, during the dispute resolution process, the DPC was told to increase the amount it was fining Twitter. Initially, they wanted to fine them less than €450,000, but this fell so short of GDPR's maximum 2 percent annual revenue fine amount that an increase was deemed necessary.

Twitter has since issued a statement saying that due to staffing between Christmas Day 2018 and New Years Day 2019 led to a delay in disclosing the breach. The statement goes on to say “We take responsibility for this mistake and remain fully committed to protecting the privacy and data of our customers”. So with that in mind, it doesn't sound like Twitter plans on fighting this at all and will just pay the fine.

KitGuru Says: As one of the social media giants, this won't impact Twitter's bottom line all that much. Still, it is interesting to see the first instance of a major tech company tripping over when it comes to GDPR rules in the EU. Hopefully this serves as a warning to companies to continue to protecting user data and that users are warned properly in the instance of a breach. 

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EU considering several year ban on public facial recognition technology https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/eu-considering-several-year-ban-on-public-facial-recognition-technology/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/eu-considering-several-year-ban-on-public-facial-recognition-technology/#respond Mon, 20 Jan 2020 16:08:14 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=447850 As technology continues to improve, we are moving closer towards an era where facial recognition technology is going to be more widespread in public spaces. Plans to roll this out may be halted for a while in Europe though, as the EU is mulling over a five-year ban so that better legal terms can be …

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As technology continues to improve, we are moving closer towards an era where facial recognition technology is going to be more widespread in public spaces. Plans to roll this out may be halted for a while in Europe though, as the EU is mulling over a five-year ban so that better legal terms can be worked out. 

As reported by Reuters, The European Commission wants new laws introduced to protect European citizen's privacy and data rights. In order to do that, a ban of “three to five years” should give enough time for the EU to come up with “a sound methodology for assessing the impacts of this technology and possible risk management measures”.

In particular, specific rules will need to be set around the use of artificial intelligence across the European Union. As pointed about by Trusted Reviews, currently the General Data Protection Regulation requires valid consent from citizens to their faces being scanned. Entering a public space is not classed as valid consent if there is no way to opt-out.

No final decision has been made but the EU Commission is seeking feedback on an 18-page white paper before making a verdict. Proposals are expected to be presented next month.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: How do you all feel about the idea of public facial recognition technology? 

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Google’s alleged GDPR violations have attracted the attention of ICO https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/googles-alleged-gdpr-violations-have-attracted-the-attention-of-ico/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/googles-alleged-gdpr-violations-have-attracted-the-attention-of-ico/#respond Tue, 05 Feb 2019 13:55:06 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=403185 Google has repeatedly been accused of breaching Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), with seven countries coming forward about the matter last November. The United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has since launched an investigation to determine whether the Search giant is guilty, potentially resulting in a £ 1.55 billion fine. According to The Telegraph, …

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Google has repeatedly been accused of breaching Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), with seven countries coming forward about the matter last November. The United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has since launched an investigation to determine whether the Search giant is guilty, potentially resulting in a £ 1.55 billion fine.

According to The Telegraph, Google has made a number of adjustments to its operations, introducing “transparency tools” in order to better conform to GDPR rules. While users can close accounts and request that their data be wiped from systems, Google doesn’t seem to offer the ability to opt-out of data collection, making it a requirement to use the company’s services.

This is to say that the company does offer pop-up boxes seeking permissions from the user, but this is a means of securing “forced consent” as applications remain inaccessible otherwise. Complaints come from more informed consumers, thanks to GDPR’s implementation last year, that suggest Google doesn’t possess “a valid legal basis to process the personal data of the users of its services, particularly for ads personalisation purposes” on Android.

Google has already been fined €50 million by French authorities for GDPR violations, the largest penalty to date for breaching the regulation. This could soon be topped by ICO if Google is found guilty, as the UK watchdog has the power to fine the company $4 billion (£3.1bn), equal to 4 percent of its annual turnover. Considering that the accusation is considerably less than a full data breach, it’s more likely that the body would impose a lower tier 2 percent fine instead.

“Following the notice of the French supervisory authority (CNIL) to fine Google, the ICO is currently reviewing the notice to consider its content and possible next steps,” the regulator said in a statement. “The ICO is also liaising with other data protection authorities across Europe on this topic.”

KitGuru Says: It could be a while before we see any developments given that investigations can sometimes be lengthy, but it isn’t looking good for the company given that Google has already been found guilty by one institution. Do you think Google seeks “forced consent” with its personalised advertisements?

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Google has been accused of GDPR violations by seven countries https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/google-has-been-accused-of-gdpr-violations-by-seven-countries/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/google-has-been-accused-of-gdpr-violations-by-seven-countries/#respond Fri, 30 Nov 2018 14:53:52 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=396780 It seems as though Google is still having trouble with Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as seven consumer watchdogs have claimed the firm has violated the regulation. The complaint alleges that Google has been deceptively using location tracking in order to distribute targeted advertisements. The EU’s GDPR went live in May, requiring that websites …

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It seems as though Google is still having trouble with Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as seven consumer watchdogs have claimed the firm has violated the regulation. The complaint alleges that Google has been deceptively using location tracking in order to distribute targeted advertisements.

The EU’s GDPR went live in May, requiring that websites acquire consent from users before processing personal data. Although Google updated its policies to include the regulation, the grievance alleges that the company has illegally been using “location history” and “web & app activity” to hand out advertisements, particularly through Google accounts baked into its dominant Android operating system.

Due to the prominence of its mobile OS, the agencies state that this practice is unavoidable for many. Acting head of the Norwegian Consumer Council’s digital services unit, Gro Mette Moen, shared a statement on behalf of the allegations:

“Google is processing incredibly detailed and extensive personal data without proper legal grounds, and the data has been acquired through manipulation techniques. When we carry our phones, Google is recording where we go, down to which floor we are on and how we are moving. This can be combined with other information about us, such as what we search for, and what websites we visit. Such information can in turn be used for things such as targeted advertising meant to affect us when we are receptive or vulnerable.”

The complaint states that setting up Android isn’t as clear cut as it should be, allowing users to potentially enable Google to track their location history without knowing. Furthermore, Google’s intrusive assertion for the feature prompts those that did manage to avoid enabling the function multiple times throughout setup and subsequently when taking photos.

“Location History is turned off by default, and you can edit, delete, or pause it at any time. If it’s on, it helps to improve services like predicted traffic on your commute. If you pause it, we make clear that – depending on your individual phone and app settings – we might still collect and use location data to improve your Google experience,” explains Google in a statement to the press.

“We enable you to control location data in other ways too, including in a different Google setting called Web & App Activity, and on your device. We’re constantly working to improve our controls, and we'll be reading this report closely to see if there are things we can take on board.”

While Google won’t be the only company scrutinised during the early stages of GDPR implementation, if the firm is found guilty then it risks the maximum penalty of $4.4 billion depending on the category of felony. The lower tier demands 2 percent of a company’s annual global turnover or €10 million depending on which is higher, while greater breaches are issued a fine of 4 percent of global revenue, or €20 million.

KitGuru Says: How do you feel about Google tracking your location? Are you the type to turn it off as soon as you can? It’s always worth remembering that you can manually turn it off in the settings.

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Facebook’s latest security blunder could result in a £1.25bn GDPR fine https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/facebooks-latest-security-blunder-could-result-in-a-1-25bn-gdpr-fine/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/facebooks-latest-security-blunder-could-result-in-a-1-25bn-gdpr-fine/#respond Tue, 02 Oct 2018 12:12:09 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=389207 Last week’s Facebook hack saw the data of 50 million users compromised, after an attacker exploited the platform’s “View As” feature. As a result, the social network could potentially be hit with a whopping £1.25bn/$1.63bn fine for breaching the Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). While Data Protection Commission Ireland (DPCI) is clamouring for more …

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Last week’s Facebook hack saw the data of 50 million users compromised, after an attacker exploited the platform’s “View As” feature. As a result, the social network could potentially be hit with a whopping £1.25bn/$1.63bn fine for breaching the Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

While Data Protection Commission Ireland (DPCI) is clamouring for more information from Facebook, its investigation revealed that less than 10 percent of the 50 million accounts “potentially” affected by the breach lived within Europe. Despite this, the social media platform could still be liable four fines up to four percent of its $40.7bn annual global revenue, according to The Wall Street Journel, potentially resulting in a £1.25bn/$1.63bn payout.

The DPCI expressed its concerns over the breach discovered last Tuesday, as it “affects many millions of user accounts but Facebook is unable to clarify the nature of the breach and the risk for users at this point.” Fortunately, Facebook announced that it was working with the DCPI and other regulators to assess the breach and subsequent risks.

“We’re cooperating fully & will share more info with you as soon as we have it,” reads Facebook’s Twitter reply. “We take this issue very seriously & are committed to understanding exactly what happened. We’ve also taken immediate action to protect people’s security.”

It’s already been determined that passwords remain safe from exposure given the use of authentication tokens to access the data. Personal information housed within each account, however, including personal messages and information from third-party sites in which Facebook was used to log into were reportedly ripe for harvesting. Facebook has plugged the hole by temporarily removing its “View As” feature and forcing potentially affected users to log back in.

Although no timeframe has been set for Facebook to provide answers, it will likely be a very limited window given the scale of accounts affected and the repeated breaches in security experienced by the social media platform.

KitGuru Says: Facebook has proven time and time again that it has more lives than your average cat, however these are soon to run their course if the company keeps making mistakes. Have you changed your mind on Facebook within the past year or two?

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Facebook and Google hit with lawsuits after allegedly breaching GDPR https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/facebook-and-google-hit-with-lawsuits-after-allegedly-breaching-gdpr/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/facebook-and-google-hit-with-lawsuits-after-allegedly-breaching-gdpr/#respond Wed, 30 May 2018 09:42:01 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=374712 The EU’s new GDPR rules were ushered in last week, forcing websites to update privacy policies across the board. It seems that some companies are having more trouble than others, as one activist has targeted Google’s Android, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp with a lawsuit. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) aims to give control back to …

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The EU’s new GDPR rules were ushered in last week, forcing websites to update privacy policies across the board. It seems that some companies are having more trouble than others, as one activist has targeted Google’s Android, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp with a lawsuit.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) aims to give control back to the user, allowing users to choose how companies use their data. Austrian lawyer and privacy activist Max Schrems highlights that the social media sites’ staunch opt-in consent form violates these new regulations, with users at risk of losing access to the services otherwise.

“You have to have a ‘yes or no’ option,” Schrems explains in an interview with VentureBeat. “A lot of these companies now force you to consent to the new privacy policy, which is totally against the law.”

Currently, all websites owned by Google and Facebook employ an intrusive pop-up to gain the consent of users towards their new policies, implementing a ban of its services is users refuse.

Any company found in violation of the new laws faces fines of up to 4 percent of their respective global revenues. The four suits filed by Schrems have a combined top total of € 7.6 billion, roughly exchanging to $8.8bn / £6.7bn.

“We have prepared for the past 18 months to ensure we meet the requirements of the GDPR,” explains Facebook, while Google emphasised its commitment to “complying with the EU GDPR.” Despite this, head of Austria’s Data Protection Authority and a new European Data Protection Board Andrea Jelinek states that “if there is forced consent, there is no consent.”

KitGuru Says: It looks like the talk on GDPR is just beginning as many companies continue to get a grasp of the new rules. Do you feel forced into accepting the new policy updates?

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Facebook and WhatsApp can once again share data https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/facebook-and-whatsapp-can-once-again-share-data/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/facebook-and-whatsapp-can-once-again-share-data/#respond Thu, 24 May 2018 13:58:50 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=374256 As the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect, waves of companies are updating their policies in accordance. An interesting amendment comes from Facebook-owned chat service WhatsApp, which suggests that the two platforms can once again share data after agreeing not to with the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). An investigation conducted …

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As the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect, waves of companies are updating their policies in accordance. An interesting amendment comes from Facebook-owned chat service WhatsApp, which suggests that the two platforms can once again share data after agreeing not to with the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

An investigation conducted by the ICO after Facebook’s $19bn absorption of WhatsApp concluded that the practice of both platforms sharing user data would, supposedly, be illegal.  “If they had shared the data, they would have been in contravention of the first and second data protection principles of the Data Protection Act,” concluded information commissioner Elizabeth Denham.

This was resolved by WhatsApp agreeing to sign an undertaking not to share personal data with Facebook until it was in full compliance with the impending GDPR. Just ahead of its implementation, updated privacy policies from each company reveal how data can now resume exchanging hands.

“We work with third-party service providers and the Facebook Companies to help us operate, provide, improve, understand, customise, support, and market our Services,” reads WhatsApp’s new Privacy Policy, via The Inquirer. “When we share information with third-party service providers and the Facebook Companies in this capacity, we require them to use your information on our behalf in accordance with our instructions and terms.”

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Provided that you accept the new terms and agreements, which is a necessity to remain on the platform, Facebook and WhatsApp can share data through integrating their products, which circumvents their inability to merge databases.

Moreover, the data that is shared is tied to each individual platform’s terms, meaning that WhatsApp washes its hands of responsibility towards any data that might be misused by a neighbouring company.

“When you use third-party services or Facebook Company Products that are integrated with our Services, they may receive information about what you share with them. For example, if you use a data backup service integrated with our Services (like iCloud or Google Drive), they will receive information you share with them,” reads the legal wording of WhatsApp’s revised policies.

“If you interact with a third-party service linked through our Services, you may be providing information directly to such third party. Please note that when you use third-party services or Facebook Company Products, their own terms and privacy policies will govern your use of those services.”

Both WhatsApp and Facebook are following legal guidelines with their revised practices, meaning that it’s less of a controversial reveal and more a cautionary tale to check everything before agreeing to it, particularly as more GDPR policy revisions flood in.

KitGuru Says: Checking privacy policies and agreements has always been the preferred course of action, often forwent thanks to the laborious documents pieced together by companies. This has become less of an excuse over the years as documents steadily become more accessible to the everyday user. Hopefully this results in more people taking responsibility over their own data.

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Oculus will adjust its Terms of Service and add a ‘privacy centre’ to comply with GDPR https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/oculus-will-adjust-its-terms-of-service-and-add-a-privacy-centre-to-comply-with-gdpr/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/oculus-will-adjust-its-terms-of-service-and-add-a-privacy-centre-to-comply-with-gdpr/#respond Fri, 20 Apr 2018 11:43:50 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=371041 The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is coming into place fairly soon here in the EU, which means companies around the world are preparing changes to fall in line with the new laws. Facebook might be trying to skirt around it, but Oculus will be going in a different direction by implementing new policies and …

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The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is coming into place fairly soon here in the EU, which means companies around the world are preparing changes to fall in line with the new laws. Facebook might be trying to skirt around it, but Oculus will be going in a different direction by implementing new policies and a ‘privacy centre', where users can check up on what data Oculus collects.

The Privacy Centre will go live for Oculus users on the 20th of May, meanwhile the new terms of service will be published today. Oculus is expanding its terms of service to also cover augmented reality, which could be a hint at the future of the company, which has primarily focused on VR up to this point.

Oculus won't necessarily be changing its practices in response to GDPR, but it will be offering more transparency. Oculus already doesn't share user data with Facebook for third-party ad targeting, but the company does collect data on physical movements when users are wearing the Rift. When users are wearing the Rift, Oculus checks in on user movement once every minute, allowing the company to figure out how much average play space a user takes up.

Oculus also takes into account each user's height, but this information is stored locally on the user's own PC and not offloaded to its servers. Any other information that Oculus collects will become clear on the 20th of May, when GDPR officially takes effect.

Discuss on our Facebook page, or over on Twitter.

KitGuru Says: There are a ton of tech companies making adjustments due to GDPR and with good reason, the penalties for not complying are hefty. In the long run, this will result in more transparency, and giving people better options to restrict data collection, or at least view what is being collected. 

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Facebook restructures to lessen number of users protected by EU’s new data regulations https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/facebook-restructures-to-lessen-number-of-users-protected-by-eus-new-data-regulations/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/facebook-restructures-to-lessen-number-of-users-protected-by-eus-new-data-regulations/#respond Thu, 19 Apr 2018 11:42:29 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=370795 The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect on May 25th, clamping down on how privacy and data is handled throughout the online world. Of course, this hits Facebook hard in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, however, Zuckerberg and his company are still trying to find a way not to implement …

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The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect on May 25th, clamping down on how privacy and data is handled throughout the online world. Of course, this hits Facebook hard in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, however, Zuckerberg and his company are still trying to find a way not to implement it across its non-European users.

Specifically, the EU GDPR will only allow Facebook to gain user information once it has gotten strictly upfront opt-in consent from its users, contrary to its practices up until now. If there is a data breach of any kind, Facebook would also be required to disclose it in a prompt and precisely detailed manner.

Facebook users from the US and Canada are exempt from the changes, as these users are governed by the company’s North American headquarters, however other countries such as Australia and those in Africa, the Middle East and Asia are all under the control of Facebook’s base in Ireland.

The platform is attempting to scale back its operations in Ireland as a result, according to Reuters, which would allow Facebook to continue business as usual with approximately 1.52 billion users that would otherwise be protected by the EU’s GDPR.

Of course, the platform tried to brush the changes under the rug by stating that it “applies the same privacy protections everywhere, regardless of whether your agreement is with Facebook Inc or Facebook Ireland,” but it wouldn’t be trying to limit its liability under GDPR if the new regulation didn’t pose a threat to Facebook’s profit margin.

Attempting to subvert perception on its motives, Facebook claims that the changes are a result of “EU law requiring specific language,” such as “specific legal terminology about the legal basis for processing data which does not exist in US law.” It is just a complete coincidence that the changes would be preventing 70 percent of its user base from being protected by GDPR as a result.

KitGuru Says: Shady moves in a company as large and dominant as Facebook are to be expected nowadays, and Zuckerberg has noted that he thinks the introduction of GDPR is a bit much. Do you think that GDPR is a bit too harsh on the platform or is it something long overdue?

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