San Francisco, May 26 (IANS) Within hours of the European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) taking effect on Friday, technology giants Google and Facebook have been hit with privacy complaints that could carry fines of up to $9.3 billion in total, media reported.

With regard to privacy, Google, Facebook and Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Instagram are forcing people to adopt a “take it or leave it” approach which essentially amounts to demanding that users submit to intrusive terms of service, according to the the Austrian privacy-advocacy group Noyb.eu, CNET reported on Friday.

“Tonnes of ‘consent boxes’ popped up online or in applications, often combined with a threat, that the service can no longer be used if user (s) do not consent,” the group was quoted as saying in a statement.

The group is asking regulators in France, Belgium, Germany and Austria to fine the companies up to the maximum four per cent of their annual revenue that the GDPR legislation allows.

This could potentially add up to a $4.88 billion fine for Google parent company Alphabet and $1.63 billion for each of Facebook, and its Instagram and WhatsApp services, if European regulators agree with Noyb.eu and decide to fine the companies the full amount, the CNET report said.

GDPR, designed to designed to give individuals in the European Union (EU) more rights to control their personal information, came into effect on Friday.

Seen as a measure to by European leaders to control the powers of technology companies, GDPR violations can cost companies either 20 million Euros or four per cent of annual turnover.

As a result of the regulation, several US news outlets were temporarily unavailable in Europe, reported BBC.

“The Chicago Tribune and LA Times were among those saying they were currently unavailable in most European countries,” the rpeort said.

News sites within the Tronc and Lee Enterprises media publishing groups were affected. The websites included the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Orlando Sentinel and Baltimore Sun.

CNN and the New York Times were among those not affected.

While the EU regulations give individuals greater control over how their data is being collected, processed and used, violations of the norms can cost companies a fortune — either 20 million Euros or four per cent of annual turnover.</s>VIENNA/LONDON (Reuters) - As Europe’s new privacy law took effect on Friday, one activist wasted no time in asserting the additional rights it gives people over the data that companies want to collect about them.

Austrian Max Schrems filed complaints against Google, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, arguing they were acting illegally by forcing users to accept intrusive terms of service or lose access.

That take-it-or-leave-it approach, Schrems told Reuters Television, violates people’s right under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to choose freely whether to allow companies to use their data.

“You have to have a ‘yes or no’ option,” Schrems said in an interview recorded in Vienna before he filed the complaints in various European jurisdictions.

“A lot of these companies now force you to consent to the new privacy policy, which is totally against the law.”

The GDPR overhauls data protection laws in the European Union that predate the rise of the internet and, most importantly, foresees fines of up to 4 percent of global revenues for companies that break the rules.

That puts potential sanctions in the ballpark of anti-trust fines levied by Brussels that, in Google’s case, have run into billions of dollars.

Andrea Jelinek, who heads both Austria’s Data Protection Authority and a new European Data Protection Board set up under GDPR, appeared to express sympathy with Schrems’ arguments at a news conference in Brussels.

Asked about the merits of Schrems’ complaints, Jelinek said: “If there is forced consent, there is no consent.”

SCOURGE OF FACEBOOK

Schrems was a 23-year-old law student when he first took on Facebook and he’s been fighting Mark Zuckerberg’s social network ever since - becoming the poster-boy for data privacy.

He won a landmark European court ruling in 2015 that invalidated a ‘safe harbour’ agreement allowing firms to transfer personal data from the EU to the United States, where data protection is less strict.

Austrian lawyer and privacy activist Max Schrems prepares his laptop during a Reuters interview in a cafe in Vienna, Austria, May 22, 2018. Picture taken May 22, 2018. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader

With GDPR in mind, he recently set up a non-profit called None of Your Business https://noyb.eu (noyb) that plans legal action to blunt the ability of the tech titans to harvest data that they then use to sell targeted advertising.

His laptop perched on the table of a traditional Viennese coffee house, Schrems showed how a pop-up message on Facebook seeks consent to use his data - and how he is blocked when he refuses.

“The only way is to really accept it, otherwise you cannot use your Facebook any more,” Schrems explained.

“As you can see, I have my messages there and I cannot read them unless I agree.”

Erin Egan, Facebook’s chief privacy officer, said in a statement that the company has prepared for 18 months to ensure it meets the requirements of GDPR by making its policies clearer and its privacy settings easier to find.

Facebook, which has more than 2 billion regular users, has also said that advertising allows it to remain free, and that the whole service, including ads, is meant to be personalized based on user data.

“1,000-EURO BRICK”

Schrems said, however, that Instagram, a photo-sharing network popular with younger users, and encrypted messaging service WhatsApp - both owned by Facebook - also use pop-ups to gain consent and bar users who refuse.

The action brought by noyb against Google relates to new smartphones using its Android operating system. Buyers are required to hand over their data or else own “a 1,000-euro brick” that they can’t use, Schrems said.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

noyb is filing the four claims with data protection authorities in France, Belgium, Germany and Austria. Ensuing litigation may play out in Ireland, where both Facebook and Google have their European headquarters.

One filing, made against Facebook on behalf of an Austrian woman, asks the country’s data protection authority to investigate and, as appropriate, prohibit data processing operations based on invalid consent.

Slideshow (6 Images)

It also asks the regulator to impose “effective, proportionate and dissuasive” fines as foreseen by GDPR, which in Facebook’s case could run to 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion).

“So far it was cheaper just to ignore privacy rights,” said Schrems. “Now, hopefully, it’s going to be cheaper to follow them because the penalties are so high.”</s>Since the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect on Friday, internet users in the bloc have had to deal with unforeseen consequences, including U.S. newspapers blocking access and some companies suspending support for their products.

The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Orlando Sentinel — all newspapers owned by Tronc media company – displayed messages saying their websites are "currently unavailable in most European countries."

"We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to the EU market," said the Los Angeles Times on its website.

Instapaper, a bookmarking service owned by Pinterest, suspended its service to European clients as it makes "changes in light of GDPR." But that's not the only fallout.

Social media users have criticized companies for sending emails about their privacy policy updates, only to forget to hide the mailing list and effectively end up sharing scores of email addresses.

A Twitter user described it as "doomsday."

More: Are you getting all these GDPR privacy notices? We are too. Here's why they matter.

More: Don't ignore this alert from Facebook. It's your chance to quickly curb what it knows

Aside from the issues that have plagued GDPR's first day, rights groups have also signaled that companies could be held responsible for poor adherence and questionable practices.

Noyb, a digital rights group based in Austria, announced on Friday that it filed four complaints against Google's Android application, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram for "forced consent."

The group said that instead of making users feel free to make a decision on a service's privacy policy, "the opposite feeling spread on the screens" of users.

Apple's new privacy portal is for EU customers at the moment. It will be coming to the U.S. later.

"Tons of 'consent boxes' popped up online or in applications, often combined with a threat that the service cannot … be used if users do not consent."

Max Schrems, a lawyer and chairman of Noyb, said Facebook's actions reminded him of "North Korean election process."

"In the end, users only had the choice to delete the account or hit the 'agree' button – that's not a free choice," said Schrems.

This article originally appeared on DW.com. Its content was created separately to USA TODAY.</s>In this March 29, 2018, file photo the logo for Facebook appears on screens at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York's Times Square. Many companies large and small are updating their privacy policies and service terms to comply with upcoming European Union rules governing data and privacy. In preparation for GDPR, Facebook in March updated its privacy controls in hopes of making them easier to find and understand.

Since the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect on Friday, internet users in the bloc have had to deal with unforeseen consequences, including U.S. newspapers blocking access and some companies suspending support for their products.

The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Orlando Sentinel — all newspapers owned by Tronc media company – displayed messages saying their websites are "currently unavailable in most European countries."

"We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to the EU market," said the Los Angeles Times on its website.

Instapaper, a bookmarking service owned by Pinterest, suspended its service to European clients as it makes "changes in light of GDPR." But that's not the only fallout.

Social media users have criticized companies for sending emails about their privacy policy updates, only to forget to hide the mailing list and effectively end up sharing scores of email addresses.

A Twitter user described it as "doomsday."

More: Are you getting all these GDPR privacy notices? We are too. Here's why they matter.

More: Don't ignore this alert from Facebook. It's your chance to quickly curb what it knows

Aside from the issues that have plagued GDPR's first day, rights groups have also signaled that companies could be held responsible for poor adherence and questionable practices.

Noyb, a digital rights group based in Austria, announced on Friday that it filed four complaints against Google's Android application, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram for "forced consent."

The group said that instead of making users feel free to make a decision on a service's privacy policy, "the opposite feeling spread on the screens" of users.

Apple's new privacy portal is for EU customers at the moment. It will be coming to the U.S. later.

"Tons of 'consent boxes' popped up online or in applications, often combined with a threat that the service cannot … be used if users do not consent."

Max Schrems, a lawyer and chairman of Noyb, said Facebook's actions reminded him of "North Korean election process."

"In the end, users only had the choice to delete the account or hit the 'agree' button – that's not a free choice," said Schrems.

This article originally appeared on DW.com. Its content was created separately to USA TODAY.</s>Since the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect on Friday, internet users in the bloc have had to deal with unforeseen consequences, including U.S. newspapers blocking access and some companies suspending support for their products.

The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Orlando Sentinel — all newspapers owned by Tronc media company – displayed messages saying their websites are "currently unavailable in most European countries."

"We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to the EU market," said the Los Angeles Times on its website.

Instapaper, a bookmarking service owned by Pinterest, suspended its service to European clients as it makes "changes in light of GDPR." But that's not the only fallout.

Social media users have criticized companies for sending emails about their privacy policy updates, only to forget to hide the mailing list and effectively end up sharing scores of email addresses.

A Twitter user described it as "doomsday."

More: Are you getting all these GDPR privacy notices? We are too. Here's why they matter.

More: Don't ignore this alert from Facebook. It's your chance to quickly curb what it knows

Aside from the issues that have plagued GDPR's first day, rights groups have also signaled that companies could be held responsible for poor adherence and questionable practices.

Noyb, a digital rights group based in Austria, announced on Friday that it filed four complaints against Google's Android application, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram for "forced consent."

The group said that instead of making users feel free to make a decision on a service's privacy policy, "the opposite feeling spread on the screens" of users.

Apple's new privacy portal is for EU customers at the moment. It will be coming to the U.S. later.

"Tons of 'consent boxes' popped up online or in applications, often combined with a threat that the service cannot … be used if users do not consent."

Max Schrems, a lawyer and chairman of Noyb, said Facebook's actions reminded him of "North Korean election process."

"In the end, users only had the choice to delete the account or hit the 'agree' button – that's not a free choice," said Schrems.

This article originally appeared on DW.com. Its content was created separately to USA TODAY.</s>The EU's flagship new data protection laws came into effect on Friday but hit an early hitch as several major US news websites were blocked to European users.

The Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune newspapers were among those inaccessible on the other side of the Atlantic following the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Separately Facebook and Google already face their first official complaints under the new law after an Austrian privacy campaigner accused them of effectively forcing users to give their consent to the use of their personal information.

The EU has billed the GDPR as the biggest shake-up of data privacy regulations since the birth of the web, saying it sets new standards in the wake of the recent Facebook data harvesting scandal.

But it has also been blamed for a flood of emails and messages in recent weeks as worried firms rush to request the explicit consent of users.

It led to the hashtag #HappyGDPRDay taking off on social media as people sarcastically celebrated the end of the deluge of spam.

Even though the rules were officially adopted two years ago, with a grace period until now to adapt to them, companies have been slow to act, resulting in a last-minute scramble this week.

Companies can be fined up to EUR 20 million ($24 million, or approximately Rs. 162 crores) or four percent of annual global turnover for breaching the strict new data rules for the EU, a market of 500 million people.

Several firms experienced real-world problems over complying with the EU laws, with US newspapers owned by the Tronc group, formerly known as Tribune Publishing, saying that they were blocked to Europeans for now.

"Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in most European countries," said the message carried by the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, Baltimore Sun and Orlando Sentinel.

"We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to the EU market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism."

Local US newspapers owned by Lee Enterprises, including the St. Louis Post Dispatch and Arizona Daily Sun, were also out of reach, explicitly blaming the GDPR.

The European Commission insisted that it was not responsible for the blackout of some US sites, saying it was "proud to set high data protection standards" for the bloc's 500 million citizens.

"We have seen the press reports, but it is not for the commission to comment on individual companies' policies in terms of offering services in the EU," a spokesman said in an emailed comment to AFP.

"We expect all companies to fully comply with the General Data Protection Regulation as of today. With the new rules in place, EU data protection authorities will watch over their correct application across the EU and ensure full compliance."

Meanwhile campaigner Max Schrems said he had launched four official complaints with national regulatory authorities on Friday under the new law.

They target Google in France, picture-sharing site Instagram in Belgium, WhatsApp in Germany and Facebook in his native Austria.

He said the problem with all these sites was pop ups that have appeared in recent weeks, asking users to agree to new terms of use, adding that this amounted to a system of "forced consent" from users.

A previous case brought by Schrems against Facebook triggered the collapse of a previous EU-US data sharing agreement.

Brussels says the new laws put Europeans "back in control" of their data.

"When it comes to personal data today, people are naked in an aquarium," said EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter that "with the GDPR we are building a European sovereignty on data".

The law says individuals must explicitly grant permission for their data to be used. It also establishes their "right to know" who is processing their information and what it will be used for; and gives them the "right to be forgotten".

Parents will decide for children until they reach the age of consent, which member states will set anywhere between 13 and 16 years old.

The case for the new rules has been boosted by the recent scandal over the harvesting of Facebook users' data by Cambridge Analytica, a US-British political research firm, for the 2016 US presidential election.

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg said as he apologised to the European Parliament on Tuesday over the scandal that his firm would be "fully compliant" with the EU law.</s>Since the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect on Friday, internet users in the bloc have had to deal with unforeseen consequences, including U.S. newspapers blocking access and some companies suspending support for their products.

The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Orlando Sentinel — all newspapers owned by Tronc media company – displayed messages saying their websites are "currently unavailable in most European countries."

"We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to the EU market," said the Los Angeles Times on its website.

Instapaper, a bookmarking service owned by Pinterest, suspended its service to European clients as it makes "changes in light of GDPR." But that's not the only fallout.

Social media users have criticized companies for sending emails about their privacy policy updates, only to forget to hide the mailing list and effectively end up sharing scores of email addresses.

A Twitter user described it as "doomsday."

More: Are you getting all these GDPR privacy notices? We are too. Here's why they matter.

More: Don't ignore this alert from Facebook. It's your chance to quickly curb what it knows

Aside from the issues that have plagued GDPR's first day, rights groups have also signaled that companies could be held responsible for poor adherence and questionable practices.

Noyb, a digital rights group based in Austria, announced on Friday that it filed four complaints against Google's Android application, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram for "forced consent."

The group said that instead of making users feel free to make a decision on a service's privacy policy, "the opposite feeling spread on the screens" of users.

Apple's new privacy portal is for EU customers at the moment. It will be coming to the U.S. later.

"Tons of 'consent boxes' popped up online or in applications, often combined with a threat that the service cannot … be used if users do not consent."

Max Schrems, a lawyer and chairman of Noyb, said Facebook's actions reminded him of "North Korean election process."

"In the end, users only had the choice to delete the account or hit the 'agree' button – that's not a free choice," said Schrems.

This article originally appeared on DW.com. Its content was created separately to USA TODAY.</s>BRUSSELS : The EU’s flagship new data protection laws came into effect on Friday but hit an early hitch as several major US news websites were blocked to European users.

The Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune newspapers were among those inaccessible on the other side of the Atlantic following the entry into force of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Separately Facebook and Google already face their first legal cases under the new law after an Austrian privacy campaigner accused them of effectively forcing users to give their consent to the use of their personal information.

The EU has billed the GDPR as the biggest shake-up of data privacy regulations since the birth of the web, saying it sets new standards in the wake of the recent Facebook data harvesting scandal.

But it has also been blamed for a flood of emails and messages in recent weeks as worried firms rush to request the explicit consent of users.

It led to the hashtag #HappyGDPRDay taking off on social media as people sarcastically celebrated the end of the deluge of spam.

Even though the rules were officially adopted two years ago, with a grace period until now to adapt to them, companies have been slow to act, resulting in a last-minute scramble this week.

Companies can be fined up to 20 million euros ($24 million) or four percent of annual global turnover for breaching the strict new data rules for the EU, a market of 500 million people.

Several firms experienced real-world problems over complying with the EU laws, with US newspapers owned by the Tronc group, formerly known as Tribune Publishing, saying that they were blocked to Europeans for now.

“Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in most European countries,” said the message carried by the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, Baltimore Sun and Orlando Sentinel. “We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to the EU market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.”

Local US newspapers owned by Lee Enterprises, including the St. Louis Post Dispatch and Arizona Daily Sun, were also out of reach, explicitly blaming the GDPR.

The European Commission insisted that it was not responsible for the blackout of some US sites, saying it was “proud to set high data protection standards” for the bloc’s 500 million citizens.

“We have seen the press reports, but it is not for the Commission to comment on individual companies’ policies in terms of offering services in the EU,” a spokesman said in an emailed comment to AFP.

“We expect all companies to fully comply with the General Data Protection Regulation as of today. With the new rules in place, EU data protection authorities will watch over their correct application across the EU and ensure full compliance.”

Meanwhile campaigner Max Schrems said he had launched four court cases on Friday under the new law.

They target Google in France, picture-sharing site Instagram in Belgium, WhatsApp in Germany and Facebook in his native Austria.

The problem with all these sites, he said, is with the pop ups that have been appearing on them in recent weeks, asking users to agree to new terms of use, adding that this amounts to a system of “forced consent” from users.

A previous case brought by Schrems against Facebook triggered the collapse of a previous EU-US data sharing agreement.

Brussels says the new laws put Europeans “back in control” of their data.

“When it comes to personal data today, people are naked in an aquarium,” said EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova.

The law says individuals must explicitly grant permission for their data to be used. It also establishes their “right to know” who is processing their information and what it will be used for; and gives them the “right to be forgotten”.

Parents will decide for children until they reach the age of consent, which member states will set anywhere between 13 and 16 years old.

The case for the new rules has been boosted by the recent scandal over the harvesting of Facebook users’ data by Cambridge Analytica, a US-British political research firm, for the 2016 US presidential election.

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg said as he apologised to the European Parliament on Tuesday over the scandal that his firm will be “fully compliant” with the EU law.</s>Since the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect on Friday, internet users in the bloc have had to deal with unforeseen consequences, including U.S. newspapers blocking access and some companies suspending support for their products.

The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Orlando Sentinel — all newspapers owned by Tronc media company – displayed messages saying their websites are "currently unavailable in most European countries."

"We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to the EU market," said the Los Angeles Times on its website.

Instapaper, a bookmarking service owned by Pinterest, suspended its service to European clients as it makes "changes in light of GDPR." But that's not the only fallout.

Social media users have criticized companies for sending emails about their privacy policy updates, only to forget to hide the mailing list and effectively end up sharing scores of email addresses.

A Twitter user described it as "doomsday."

More: Are you getting all these GDPR privacy notices? We are too. Here's why they matter.

More: Don't ignore this alert from Facebook. It's your chance to quickly curb what it knows

Aside from the issues that have plagued GDPR's first day, rights groups have also signaled that companies could be held responsible for poor adherence and questionable practices.

Noyb, a digital rights group based in Austria, announced on Friday that it filed four complaints against Google's Android application, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram for "forced consent."

The group said that instead of making users feel free to make a decision on a service's privacy policy, "the opposite feeling spread on the screens" of users.

Apple's new privacy portal is for EU customers at the moment. It will be coming to the U.S. later.

"Tons of 'consent boxes' popped up online or in applications, often combined with a threat that the service cannot … be used if users do not consent."

Max Schrems, a lawyer and chairman of Noyb, said Facebook's actions reminded him of "North Korean election process."

"In the end, users only had the choice to delete the account or hit the 'agree' button – that's not a free choice," said Schrems.

This article originally appeared on DW.com. Its content was created separately to USA TODAY.</s>Image caption Four web giants are accused of breaking the law

Complaints have been filed against Facebook, Google, Instagram and WhatsApp within hours of the new GDPR data protection law taking effect.

The companies are accused of forcing users to consent to targeted advertising to use the services.

Privacy group noyb.eu led by activist Max Schrems said people were not being given a "free choice".

If the complaints are upheld, the websites may be forced to change how they operate, and they could be fined.

What's the issue?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new EU law that changes how personal data can be collected and used. Even companies based outside the EU must follow the new rules if offering their services in the EU.

In its four complaints, noyb.eu argues that the named companies are in breach of GDPR because they have adopted a "take it or leave it approach".

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption WATCH: What is GDPR?

The activist group says customers must agree to having their data collected, shared and used for targeted advertising, or delete their accounts.

This, the organisation suggests, falls foul of the new rules because forcing people to accept wide-ranging data collection in exchange for using a service is prohibited under GDPR.

"The GDPR explicitly allows any data processing that is strictly necessary for the service - but using the data additionally for advertisement or to sell it on needs the users' free opt-in consent," said noyb.eu in a statement.

"GDPR is very pragmatic on this point: whatever is really necessary for an app is legal without consent, the rest needs a free 'yes' or 'no' option."

Privacy advocate Max Schrems said: "Many users do not know yet that this annoying way of pushing people to consent is actually forbidden under GDPR in most cases."

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Lawyer Max Schrems is a privacy advocate

The complaints were filed by four EU citizens with local regulators in Austria, Belgium, France and Germany.

Analysts and regulators had expected complaints to be filed shortly after the introduction of the law, as organisations and privacy advocates argue over how the law should be interpreted.

'Huge fines'

Some companies based outside the EU have temporarily blocked their services across Europe to avoid falling foul of the new legislation.

However, others such as Twitter have introduced granular controls that let people opt out of targeted advertising.

Companies that fall foul of GDPR can be - in extreme cases - fined more than £17m.

Facebook said in a statement that it had spent 18 months preparing to make sure it met the requirements of GDPR.

Google told the BBC: "We build privacy and security into our products from the very earliest stages and are committed to complying with the EU General Data Protection Regulation."

WhatsApp has not yet responded to the BBC's request for comment.
Austrian privacy organization NOYB files complaints to regulators in four EU countries alleging that Facebook, Google, Instagram, and WhatsApp are violating the GDPR.