LA Times Site Down Across Europe As New Privacy Laws Take Effect

And it can't pre-check a box and ask you to uncheck it if you want to opt out: everything has to be on an opt-in basis. You also need to notify each individual whose data has been compromised or lost - effectively, you will have to publicly shame your company. This is to ensure that, if the company is hacked, your data is still safe.

Account holders on SamMobile also have the right to modify their data.

The law had been seen as focusing on Silicon Valley tech giants like Facebook and Google, but publishers and advertising companies have warned that it will harm their businesses in particular because it restricts how information is packaged and shared to sell advertising.

Companies that offer apps and services in the United Kingdom and Europe - every firm from Spotify to Google - have to update their guidelines and even the core structure of their apps so that they're meeting these new privacy rules.

From May 25, consumers will be asked to provide explicit, affirmative consent for their personal data to be used and processed. From today, you can insist that all your data is permanently deleted. You certainly don't need to worry about us ever sending you anything through the post!

The "take it or leave it" approach embraced by some both large and small companies will likely not sit well with the EU's executive body, the European Commission, which may soon start taking action against the companies they see as most blatantly violating the GDPR.

The law has real teeth. "Companies that have been making money from our data, have more responsibilities", Vera Jourova, Europe's top justice official, said Thursday.

Even the less serious category allows for a fine of up to 2% of worldwide turnover. "Facebook is being complained about in Austria and its subsidiaries, WhatsApp and Instagram, are being targeted in north-German city Hamburg, and Belgium respectively".

The most visible effect of GDPR so far, for most people, may be the blizzard of emails from companies seeking permission to continue sending marketing messages.

Anyone in the European Union will have received a lot of GDPR-related emails from companies.

"Most HR professionals and businesses feel unprepared, so don't feel you are worrying alone", added Mel Stancliffe, partner in the employment team at Irwin Mitchell.

Companies have to clearly explain what you're signing up for or opting in to at the point you're presented with the choice.

'We've updated our privacy policy.' 'Let's stay in touch.' 'Want to keep hearing from us?' For the time being, only European Union based accounts can use it but Apple plans to roll it out worldwide over the next few months. The difference is really cultural; privacy is considered a human right in Europe, and of course, it's a much more regulation-friendly environment.

A large number of European web users have been unable to access certain U.S. sites, including The Chicago Times, the LA Times, The New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel and Baltimore Sun.

Among the websites blocked were the Chicago Times and LA Times, which posted essages saying they were now unavailable in most European countries, said the BBC.