Hereâs Why Youâre Getting So Many Emails About Terms of Service Updates>
Slate – Tonya Riley
In April 2016, after four years of debate, the European Parliament voted to approve a law called General Data Protection Regulation. The law happens to be going into effect on May 25, 2018, hence why youâve been flooded with notification after notification. Organizations that are non-compliant risk fines of up to four percent of their annual global turnover, or up to â¬20 million (about $24 million), whichever is greater. So why are we non-EU residents getting these emails, too. Because even companies that arenât based in the EU have to abide by the guidelines if they process the data of EU citizens. The law requires subject companies to notify users of data breaches within 72 hours and guarantees usersâ right to access the data companies have on them and how itâs being used. It also means that companies could be subject to penalty for ignoring the EUâs âright to be forgottenâ restrictions, something that has long been a source of consternation for Google. Furthermore, the law requires companies that use data in automated decision making to provide to consumers an explanation of how their information was usedâthough how thorough that explanation needs to be is a bit unclear.

Ultimately, the U.S. will have to figure out its own path to regulation for consumers to actually receive similar protections to GDPR. The recently introduced Social Media Privacy Protection and Consumer Rights Act of 2018, which features similar protocols such as a 72-hour for data breach notifications, could be a start. For now, enjoy all your notifications! â¢
Link: https://slate.com/technology/2018/04/why-so-many-companies-are-updating-their-terms-of-service-now.html