EU submits Facebook to new privacy law

Despite political theatre in questions that Congress asked Mark Zuckerberg last week, the business model Facebook is not facing any risk from regulators in the United States. In Europe, however, GDPR [the rules for the protection of general data] will provide people with better protection and will force companies, including Facebook, to make sweeping changes in the way they collect data and obtain reconciliation from users with large fines for any irregularities.

“is changing the balance of power from giant digital marketing companies to focus on individuals' needs and on democratic society,” said Jeffrey Chester, founder of the Centre for Digital Democracy. “This is an incredible achievement. ”

This is a guide for new regulations.

What's GDPR?

It is an arrangement that requires companies to protect personal data and population privacy in EU countries. It replaces previous data protection dating back to 1995 and limits the way businesses collect, sell and export people's personal data.

“Consumers have been abused,” said David Carroll, associate professor at the Parsons School of Design of New York. “Traders have succeeded in making people feel more helpless. GDPR gives consumers the chance to renegotiate an extremely unfair deal. ”

Does this affect only European companies?

No. This will apply to all companies that process the personal data of people within the European Union, where our beautiful country, Kosovo, is not.

What counts as personal input?

Any information connected to the person that can be used to identify him, including names, photos, e-mail addresses, IP addresses, bank details, social networking posts, medical information, biometric data and sexual orientation.

What new rights will people receive?

Under GDPR, people will be extended to see the rights that a company has collected for them completely free through “a subject requirement for data”. People will also be right to forget, which means companies have to erase someone's data if they ask for it. Companies will only collect data when there is any specific business purpose for that thing.

This rule makes companies more thinkative and rigorous about the data they collect and also the way they use it,” said Carroll.

What about people outside Europe?

Although applied only to people within the EU, the new regulations will probably pressure companies to provide further protection for the rest of the users. Facebook, for example, has pledged to provide control of GDPR globally. So, there is no need to enter the EU just because of this rule.

This article was taken in Guardian, and translated by Periscope.