Updated European privacy guidelines came into effect on Friday. These guidelines will ensure companies become more observant on how they deal with customer data.
The consequences are clear for companies flouting the rules, a number of companies have had to alter their privacy policies, some examples are major US media outlets including the LA Times and Chicago Tribune.
Australian Max Schrems claimed, “You have to have a ‘yes or no’ option. A lot of these companies now force you to consent to the new privacy policy, which is totally against the law.” Before he went ahead and filed complaints in European jurisdiction.
Privacy managers of Europe claimed that they were ready to flex their muscles, but they are not a “sanctioning machine.”
“This (forced consent) is an issue that we will be looking at immediately, and work is already underway,” claims Helen Dixon who is the head of Irish Data Protection Commissioner. Helen Dixon will be held responsible for policing United States giants Google and Facebook along with other large companies.
Many privacy objectors have welcomed this new law with open arms and have set Europe as an example for personal data protection in the Internet times. These activists have even called out on other countries to follow Europe as an example.
Patrick Van Eecke, who is a partner at law firm DLA Piper said that “It’s a gradual and not a revolutionary kind of thing. However, for many companies, it was a huge wakeup call because they neglected to read the guidelines. They never took the data protection directive seriously.”
