<story><title>Instapaper is temporarily shutting off access for European users due to GDPR</title><url>https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/23/17387146/instapaper-gdpr-europe-access-shut-down-privacy-changes</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>Fradow</author><text>Obviously, IANAL, but my company talked to a few over the past week.&lt;p&gt;This move is, in my opinion, a bad read on the odds and European culture.&lt;p&gt;First, culture. The goal (at least in France, but that&amp;#x27;s probably the same in other countries) is to get you in compliance, NOT to fine you. What this means is that before you get lawsuit and fines, someone will talk to you and work with you to see how you can get compliant.&lt;p&gt;Second, the odds. Unless you are a big company that thrives on GDPR violations (doesn&amp;#x27;t seem to me Instapaper is one, but I could be mistaken as I never used the service), you aren&amp;#x27;t likely to be targeted before a while, at least until a big case is done and over (let&amp;#x27;s take the odds Facebook is first).&lt;p&gt;Third, the delay. While the GDPR takes effect tomorrow, you have a grace period of a year for part of it (for example, getting consent for newsletter). I would really be surprised if enforcement start tomorrow.&lt;p&gt;Well, at least that&amp;#x27;s my read on the situation. And that&amp;#x27;s how I intend to do it: pro-actively work into getting in compliance without rushing it too much, and handle things properly as they come.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>sebazzz</author><text>As far as I understand the grace period was the last two years. Tomorrow is the big day.&lt;p&gt;But whether or not that it is true, I believe that if Europeans have used Instapaper and they now temporarily shut off access they still are not compliant and in violation of the law. Because they did serve Europeans, so they have their data.</text></comment>
<story><title>Instapaper is temporarily shutting off access for European users due to GDPR</title><url>https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/23/17387146/instapaper-gdpr-europe-access-shut-down-privacy-changes</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>Fradow</author><text>Obviously, IANAL, but my company talked to a few over the past week.&lt;p&gt;This move is, in my opinion, a bad read on the odds and European culture.&lt;p&gt;First, culture. The goal (at least in France, but that&amp;#x27;s probably the same in other countries) is to get you in compliance, NOT to fine you. What this means is that before you get lawsuit and fines, someone will talk to you and work with you to see how you can get compliant.&lt;p&gt;Second, the odds. Unless you are a big company that thrives on GDPR violations (doesn&amp;#x27;t seem to me Instapaper is one, but I could be mistaken as I never used the service), you aren&amp;#x27;t likely to be targeted before a while, at least until a big case is done and over (let&amp;#x27;s take the odds Facebook is first).&lt;p&gt;Third, the delay. While the GDPR takes effect tomorrow, you have a grace period of a year for part of it (for example, getting consent for newsletter). I would really be surprised if enforcement start tomorrow.&lt;p&gt;Well, at least that&amp;#x27;s my read on the situation. And that&amp;#x27;s how I intend to do it: pro-actively work into getting in compliance without rushing it too much, and handle things properly as they come.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>zhdc1</author><text>&amp;#x27;European&amp;#x27; - e.g., EU - culture is still quite new in this regard, and plenty of companies have gotten very large fines for gross non compliance of other regulations&amp;#x2F;directives.&lt;p&gt;Since GDPR compliance is enforced by EU members, many small companies are exposed to (have customers in) most or all EU jurisdictions, and the EU is very heterogeneous when it comes to regulatory enforcement by member states, I think that they&amp;#x27;re correct to be worried about the ambiguity around the GDPR.&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#x27;m not arguing against the GDPR - I&amp;#x27;m in favor of data protection - but the if&amp;#x2F;ands&amp;#x2F;and buts (e.g., speculation) about who is going to get fined, and for how much, is uncomfortable.</text></comment>