Internet Platforms Collecting User Data are Digital Sweat Factories, Says EU’s Data Protection Chief

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Internet Platforms Collecting User Data are Digital Sweat Factories, Says EU’s Data Protection Chief

By CircleID Reporter
May 02, 2018, 6:27 pm PDT Views: 7,531 Add Comment

“The digital information ecosystem farms people for their attention, ideas and data in exchange for so called ‘free’ services,” says Giovanni Buttarelli, the European data protection supervisor. With the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) fast approaching end of this month, companies around the world are scrambling to notify users to accept new privacy policies and data processing terms in order to continue using their services. Buttarelli writes: “Companies whose business model depends on tracking are now asking their customers to say whether they agree to, for example, the use of sensitive data and data from outside sources. Just like with the notorious cookie pop-ups, people fell pushed towards clicking ‘I accept’ because the only apparent alternative on offer seems complicated, time-consuming and risks excluding them from digital society. We and other DPAs are therefore worried that even the biggest companies may not yet understand that with the GDPR these manipulative approaches must change. ... Brilliant lawyers will always be able to fashion ingenious arguments to justify almost any practice.”

By CircleID Reporter — CircleID’s internal staff reporting on news tips and developing stories. Do you have information the professional Internet community should be aware of? Contact us.
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