GDPR and cluttered inboxes
If like me you have an email address, you might have received a bunch of emails about companies you may have forgotten about telling you proudly how they updated their Privacy Policy.
Some of the ones I read felt like they were almost asking for a high-five at the end. Cool, so it seems like everyone is finally starting to take the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) seriously and may even be afraid of the consequences if they’re not compliant with the law.
The GDPR basically gives people more control and ownership of the data they provide. Companies like Facebook won’t be able to sell personal information to third parties anymore unless you consent that your data may be used specifically for that purpose.
That’s really great news if you’re a European citizen. However even if you’re not you’re likely to have your data treated the same way by GDPR compliant business regardless of your location which is nice.
Now, I get that companies must update their privacy policies to make them easier to read and understand but they don’t actually have to tell you about it. As a customer (and EU citizen) the basic expectation is that businesses which handle my information are compliant.
That being said, during the barrage of emails announcing updates to privacy policies, the companies that really stood out to me are the ones who remained low-key about it.
For those it’s just business as usual.
I trust that they respect my privacy, my rights and also my inbox at a time when others don’t.