"A sweeping set of new data privacy regulations descending on Europe is leaving internet companies in the U.S. scrambling to overhaul their practices to avoid steep penalties.
Companies like Google, Twitter, Yelp and Uber have in recent weeks sent notices to their users about updates to privacy policies and user agreements aimed at making their data collection practices more transparent.
The moves are part of an industry-wide effort to prepare for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which goes into effect on Friday and forces companies to give full disclosure about what they do with the digital data they collect and offer their users more control over their information.
Under the new rules, European users are able to request copies of the data that websites have on them or ask companies to delete that information; websites have to ask for permission to collect and share user data; and companies need to disclose their data practices in clear language, instead of obscuring them with legalese.
The GDPR only applies to the member states of the European Union (EU), but users in the U.S. will also see changes as some websites decide to apply the new protections beyond Europe."
http://thehill.com/policy/technology/389284-tech-companies-scramble-as-sweeping-data-rules-take-effect
Companies like Google, Twitter, Yelp and Uber have in recent weeks sent notices to their users about updates to privacy policies and user agreements aimed at making their data collection practices more transparent.
The moves are part of an industry-wide effort to prepare for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which goes into effect on Friday and forces companies to give full disclosure about what they do with the digital data they collect and offer their users more control over their information.
Under the new rules, European users are able to request copies of the data that websites have on them or ask companies to delete that information; websites have to ask for permission to collect and share user data; and companies need to disclose their data practices in clear language, instead of obscuring them with legalese.
The GDPR only applies to the member states of the European Union (EU), but users in the U.S. will also see changes as some websites decide to apply the new protections beyond Europe."
http://thehill.com/policy/technology/389284-tech-companies-scramble-as-sweeping-data-rules-take-effect