Data privacy is one of the most sensitive topics in the digital world.

Have you ever wondered why you “magically” get personalized ads only for the things you like? Are you aware that your personal data are being shared across a bunch of thirsty advertising giants? Do you want to share that information? Did you consent to share this information at all? Have you heard of the GDPR regulations?

What is GDPR?

Let’s be honest. If you are a digital marketing person or you just own a company, you’re definitely panicking about the General Data Protection Regulation, also known as GDPR. This regulation comes to fortify the jungle of data we used to live in since the last decades and protect people from a bunch of risks about getting their personal data compromised.
GDPR is not only for the “specialists” though. It is something that should concern us all to the personal level. These regulations give the end-user a better control and transparency of how their data is shared and used by advertising agents (companies or services).

People have no earthly idea what they are signing up for -Joint commerce and Judiciary Committee SH-2016

How valuable is that data?
Nowadays, data can be declared as “the new black gold” of our era. Especially for digital marketers and big companies in which a large amount of their growth and revenue depends basically on several advertising services they provide and/or apply to their end-users.
Social Media companies, such as Facebook, rely on personalized advertising. So, why is Facebook free and how do they get money? It’s easy. You are the product! Many social companies; and not only – are using your data to provide you with targeted ads, or even sell that data with an explicit or implicit way in order to somehow help the companies that want to reach you or other clients like you.

The Story behind
GDPR has come a long way. In 2012 the European Commission proposed that it was time to update the data protection regulations that were initially set back in 1995. Following a handful of discussions , in the upcoming years, GDPR was set in motion in 2016. Companies and businesses now had a two year “post-adoption grace period”. That leads us to the deadline of March 25th 2018 . After that date all companies and businesses (operating in EU or interacting with any EU citizen) should have already be operating under the GDPR standards. For those that don’t comply with the GDPR, the eugdpr.org mentions that : “Organizations can be fined up to 4% of annual global turnover for breaching GDPR or €20 Million.” But do big companies, like Facebook and google, follow the GDPR protocols?

Big companies don’t comply
Nowadays, there are many proof of evidence, where big companies don’t follow the principles of the GDPR. Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, recently testified before congress about the Cambridge Analytical Scandal in which Cambridge obtained private Facebook data (around 87 million of Facebook profiles). This may have aid in several political campaigns since then. Another example is the Uber “God View” case back in 2015. That was a high profile case of data misuse. It take place when an employee at Uber, violated the company’s policy by using its God View tool in order to track a journalist who was late for an interview with an Uber exec. “God View” here refers to the ability of the company’s staff to track both Uber vehicles and customers at the same time.

Final thoughts
To conclude, every user, citizen or whatever is called, is basically a person, a human being who has the right to keep their data private or choose the data he wants to share and with whom. Free from the eyes of those big giants. Who has the right to be forgotten at any time; or simply request all kind of data someone holds on him. We’re facing a big change. Let’s hope this is for good and will wake up every single person out there.

Authors: Kyriakos Kyriakou & Andronikos Zantis

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