Why do US based sites refuse to show the content of their websites in EU countries ?

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
68,459
12,613
126
www.anyf.ca
Just googled it, sounds like a privacy law. Not a bad thing actually... still not sure what that has to do with the original topic at hand though, or sites that keep annoying you about cookies.
 

TallBill

Lifer
Apr 29, 2001
46,017
62
91
Just googled it, sounds like a privacy law. Not a bad thing actually... still not sure what that has to do with the original topic at hand though, or sites that keep annoying you about cookies.

Lol you're so naive. It's endearing.
 

DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
GDPR -- EU privacy police saving the world from targeted advertising. Your citizens can't opt out of it, so until a site complies with it a company has no choice but to deny you access.

We had to make our website privacy policy much longer and more complicated at work to comply with GDPR even though we don't show ads or share data with other companies. We also needed to update the EULAs that no one reads for our software installs.
 

whm1974

Diamond Member
Jul 24, 2016
9,436
1,567
126
If a company does not have a presence in the EU or does any business there, and the servers they are using are located in the US, then what exactly could the EU do to this company if they choose to allow anyone, anywhere to view their content?
 

Newbian

Lifer
Aug 24, 2008
24,768
864
126
If a company does not have a presence in the EU or does any business there, and the servers they are using are located in the US, then what exactly could the EU do to this company if they choose to allow anyone, anywhere to view their content?
It depends on the agreements they have with the US but they can easily get the US to fine the company if they violate the GDPR if both sides agree to that as can easily happen.

The companies will either have to stop doing business with the nations that protects or stop collecting their data or they could face fines if they do not update the procedures.
 

FeuerFrei

Diamond Member
Mar 30, 2005
9,144
929
126
Only time I encountered denial is when trying to watch some performances on YouTube from Britain's Got Talent. I just got a message - Sorry but this content is not available in your country - or something like that. I guess what happens in Britain, stays in Britain.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
96,951
16,210
126
Only time I encountered denial is when trying to watch some performances on YouTube from Britain's Got Talent. I just got a message - Sorry but this content is not available in your country - or something like that. I guess what happens in Britain, stays in Britain.


That is just content rights issue.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
68,459
12,613
126
www.anyf.ca
It depends on the agreements they have with the US but they can easily get the US to fine the company if they violate the GDPR if both sides agree to that as can easily happen.

The companies will either have to stop doing business with the nations that protects or stop collecting their data or they could face fines if they do not update the procedures.

Wait so this law is enforceable internationally? What can I do as a site owner to make sure I'm compliant or that I can be exempt? All my sites are hosted in Canada. Is that what that whole cookie warning thing is about, do I really need to do that too? I have not read the entire text yet just skimmed it quickly but from what I saw I don't really think it applies to any of my sites though as I don't really store personal info except for basic user data that they submit themselves. (forum posts/account) but guess I should be better safe than sorry and read the whole thing.
 
May 11, 2008
20,260
1,150
126
Never heard of that before, until now.

This is what i read about it from the ESET website that has a special step by step plan to help for people to be GDPR compliant.
I translated it.
GDPR means General Data Protection Regulation.
And what it is meant to do in the basics is to make sure that when you have for example an account at a webshop or an online subscription that the webshop owner or content provider is legally responsible to make sure they do everything to keep your personal data save.
To help webshopowners or content providers, special institutions can be contacted upon and data security specialists can be hired or can be residential at the content provider or webshopowner.
If in the the case that a data leak happened and the security was compromised, within 72 hours the local institution authority must be notified. If not, fines will happen.
Companies must follow specific processes and audits to constantly check that there is no data leak either from the internet through software or hardware security leaks or through employees that may abuse their power and steal your personal information.

The other part is that you as customer have more rights than in the past before GDPR, about what happens to your personal information.
If i understand correctly, cusotmers now have the right to ask for removal of personal information, for example after terminating a contract with a content provider or webshop owner.

Personalized ads for example are based on tracking all your browser activity and automatic profiling either at the site of everywhere.
I am not entirely sure what GDPR allows for but i assume here that as a customer or user you can demand that the automatic profiling is deleted when you want this to happen.
Automatic profiling is gathering any kind of personal information about a given individual to generate a automatic profile about that individual and use that for marketing means or other statistics.

The GDPR allows less freedom for automatic profiling for marketing means.
Sorry, but my English is not perfect. The translation may be a little rough.

edit:

Found the English version :

https://www.eset.com/uk/gdpr/solutions/