Strict new privacy rules that took effect in the European Union last May give regulators unprecedented powers to protect people from having their data misused by companies doing business there. The regulator concluded Google’s deficiencies could result in users revealing “important parts of their private life.” Google has appealed the decision. A push by industry could help a privacy law through a divided Congress, but political gridlock poses major challenges. It doesn’t include legal actions or public records, and the media benefit from some exemptions to reconcile privacy with freedom of expression. Consumers have been barraged with alerts asking them to review their privacy settings and permit websites to use their data.

Source: Washington Post February 08, 2019 01:30 UTC