Ireland's Data Privacy Watchdog Opens Probes Into Google, Tinder (engadget.com) 16
Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) has opened two separate GDPR investigations into Google and Tinder. Engadget reports: In the case of [Tinder], the agency says it will examine how the dating app handles people's data and whether it's been transparent about the process. The DPC says it will also look into whether Tinder has been properly meeting data requests from users. Under GDPR, Europeans have several options when it comes to how companies handle their data. They can, for instance, ask an app or service to delete their data. The law also allows people to request copies of their personal information. The investigation into Tinder comes after the Norwegian Consumer Council published a report that accused Tinder, alongside several other dating apps, for irresponsibly spreading sensitive user data. Notably, the DPC says it's opening its investigation into Tinder after it received complaints from people in both Ireland and other parts of the European Union.
As for Google, the DPC will investigate how the search giant handles and processes location data. Numerous European consumer rights groups started asking the agency to investigate Google shortly after the EU enacted GDPR. Both Tinder and Google have said they'll cooperate with the probes. CNET notes Google and Tinder could face fines of up to four percent of their total annual revenue in the previous year, if the two companies haven't been fully compliant with GDPR.
As for Google, the DPC will investigate how the search giant handles and processes location data. Numerous European consumer rights groups started asking the agency to investigate Google shortly after the EU enacted GDPR. Both Tinder and Google have said they'll cooperate with the probes. CNET notes Google and Tinder could face fines of up to four percent of their total annual revenue in the previous year, if the two companies haven't been fully compliant with GDPR.
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European law doesn't prevent ads from being shown. It places limitations on the gathering, storage and sharing of personal data. A company operating in any country needs to either comply with the regulations of that jurisdiction, or abandon that market. This principle applies to European companies operating in the US also.
I'm fine with Tinder deciding to either charge European users or leave Europe. And Google has enough clever people to work within the regulations profitably if it wants to. If not, c'est l
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So special ads just for the EU...
Whats the point of an ad that does not track a user and see if they actually paid for the product/service later...
Re "dredging and sharing your personal data isn't really "free" anyway"... free enough for generations of EU users to use and trust over all the other "global" EU nations online services...
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There seem to be a very fundamental difference between the expectations of Europeans and Americans about how data is handled.
You see it in Slashdot comments quite often. Americans complaining that if information exists it will be harvested and sold and abused and they can't do anything about it. In Europe that would be an outrage and immediately investigated. Your personal information is private by default and valuable and should be treated with respect.
Neither side can really imagine how the other is even
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Europeans dont like to see US brands make money... so new EU nation level gov rules.. start to be enforced ... think of the "privacy"
This is BS! Don't be prejudicial about other's motives. Europeans value their privacy highly. However, there are concerns on bit multi-national companies, but that is about tax evasion. /Jon
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A EU privacy tax on investment?
Make EU users pay for that privacy as a cost of service per year...
Dont invest in EU nations due to the extra cost of EU laws and EU regulations.
The rest of the world cant keep paying for what EU nations "value"...for free.
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Should US users pay for that cost of extra EU privacy?
Should a US brand make a loss in the EU to "pay" for EU laws?
Seperate code, experts and ads just for the EU is not "free" AC.
"Huge fines?" The charm of investing in the EU AC?
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Then pay for the free services in the EU with ads like the rest of the world AC.
Pay for the extra special EU level privacy costs as a pay for service.
Want a EU level GDPR? Pay for the costs of a GDPR per month as a cost of service in the EU nation... for decades of social media use.. AC..
SEC Investigation, WHEN (Score:2)
How about auditing them for economic espionage. Data mining the economic proprietary information of corporations in order to insider trade using off shore tax haven hedge fund accounts, using legally protected financial information they data mined. The privacy not of individuals but of corporations and using that information to cheat investors in those corporations who do not have that information.