A year ago, we wrote about Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. A year later, little has come to fruition as under-resourced European regulators are still struggling to comprehensively define their mission as they simultaneously attempt to pursue investigations they know will end up in front of the courts.
Net Neutrality – An Ongoing Battle
The concept of net neutrality was originally introduced in 2005 by the FCC for the purpose of providing open Internet potential to all businesses, regardless of size. In 2015, further regulations were passed by the Obama administration. The 2015 ruling viewed the Internet as a utility, like electricity or water, and stated that everyone should have equal access to all online sites. It also protected consumers from discriminatory practices. The 2015 regulations mandated the disclosure of hidden fees and provided a channel through which customers and competitors could file complaints regarding unfair practices.
GDPR – Is Your Organization Ready?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was passed by the EU in 2016, establishing new rules for how companies manage and share consumer data. It was introduced to ensure that all data protection laws are applied uniformly throughout EU member countries. With GDPR, the definition of personal data has been expanded to include genetic, biometric (facial recognition and finger prints), location data, pseudonymized data, and online identifiers.