New Service Blocks EU Users So Companies Can Save Thousands on GDPR Compliance (bleepingcomputer.com)

Catalin Cimpanu, reporting for BleepingComputer: A new service called GDPR Shield made the rounds last week and for all the wrong reasons. The service, advertised as a piece of JavaScript that webmasters embed on their sites, blocks EU-based users from accessing a website, just so the parent company won't have to deal with GDPR compliance. GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation, is a new user and data privacy regulation slated to come into effect in the EU three weeks from now, on May 25, 2018.

The new regulation brings a wealth of protections to user privacy but is a nightmare for companies doing business in Europe. The reasons are plenty, but the humongous fines for failing to meet GDPR standards are at the top of the list for most companies ($24 million or 4% of a company's annual worldwide revenue -- whichever is higher). There's also the 72-hour deadline to reveal data breaches and the necessity of hiring a so-called "Data Protection Officer." Plus, GDPR also mandates that companies must inform users on what data they collected about them, allow them to review the data, and even let users delete the data from the company's servers if they so wish.

Comments

Nothing "new" here

[Dorianny]

geofencing is not exactly a new concept. At least it finally is being used for good (privacy protection) rather then for evil (arbitrary geographical media blocking)

Re:Nothing "new" here

[OzPeter]

for good (privacy protection)

Good is rather relative here: it's purpose here is evading privacy protection.

It's not so much as evading privacy restrictions as locking out users for which privacy protections have been mandated.

If anything you could use it as an indication to ether do or refuse to do business with a company based on what side of the GDPR fence you want to be.

Re:Nothing "new" here

[mvdwege]

Tell me, what of my personal data beyond billing and shipping data for my most recent order would a Mom and Pop shop need?

This is the usual right-wing talking point about 'onerous regulation' and it is bullshit. It is not about the small businesses, unless they are merely a bait-and-switch operation trying to gain my data to sell it on to unscrupulous marketeers. It is about massive corporations that want to be free to pillage my life for their profits, and there is always an idiot falling for their 'but think of the poor small businessmen' shtick.

Re:EU needs to be careful...

[religionofpeas]

As a EU resident, I don't mind if companies are choosing to block EU if they can't comply with privacy rules. I'd rather not do business with those companies.

Brilliant idea

[gurps_npc]

If you don't want to have to deal with the laws of a certain country, should have the right to not do business inside that country.

Of course, that leaves a big underserved market. In less than 4 years someone will come along and serve them, while abiding by the laws they hate.

Which could very well lead to those companies losing world wide market share as those new, privacy conscience companies expand out of their underserved market into the general world wide marketplace.

As for the laws they are trying to avoid? We need them in our country.