U.S. Websites Go Dark in Europe

[BIAD]

In the UK.

The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News and some others.

"Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in most European countries.
We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range
of digital offerings to the EU market.
We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our
award-winning journalism."

From WND:

'...The new rules require companies to give “full disclosure” to site users on what they do with the
digital information they collect and offer them more control.

“Under the new rules, European users are able to request copies of the data that websites have on
them or ask companies to delete that information; websites have to ask for permission to collect and
share user data; and companies need to disclose their data practices in clear language, instead of
obscuring them with legalese,” the Hill said.

While the rules only apply inside the EU, users of those sites in the U.S. also could see changes as
the sites apply the new requirements generally across their platforms.

“The law will affect virtually any company that collects and stores sensitive data, from health care
organizations to banks, but the burden of complying will fall harder on some companies than others
depending on their data practices,” the Hill report said.

Cynthia Cole, a lawyer with an international firm, told the publication that the companies will have an
easier time “if your business model is not built around exploiting personal information and selling it
on the open market.”
Other sites, such as Instapaper, announced they would be unavailable temporarily while changes are
made.

The penalties adopted by the EU are significant, with infractions possibly resulting in fines of $23.5
million, or 4 percent of a company’s revenue. The new standards come just as social media companies
such as Facebook and Google face controversy over the data they collect from members and how they
profit from it.
They also face accusations of systematic censorship of conservative sites.

Brexit leader Nigel Farage, a member of the EU Parliament, this week cited Facebook’s decision to
“doctor” the news by suppressing conservative voices. One of the bigger scandals recently was the
revelation that the research company Cambridge Analytica acquired data on 87 million Facebook
users without their approval.

A report Friday from Fastcompany said many companies are moving to a procedure of “forced consent”
in which customers must agree to the privacy rules or give up access to the site.
The rules, the report said, are supposed to give users options regarding their data usage.

“The opposite feeling spread on the screens of many users: tons of ‘consent boxes’ popped up online or in
applications, often combined with a threat, that the service cannot longer be used if user do[es] not consent.”

Reuter reported Google was handing out tools to help publishers comply.
Many online companies track users, whether they are shopping or conversing with friends.
Such information often is monetized by the websites.

“The new rules require that they have specific justification, such as consent, for using personal information,”
Reuters reported...'