The GDPR will have a significant impact on our online footprints and how the apps and services we use protect or exploit them. Here’s what you need to know. The European Union has a new law on the books for protecting data privacy. It’s the General Data Protection Regulation, more commonly called the GDPR. The regulation was ratified in 2016 and organizations were given a two-year “implementation period” to prepare. This grace period ends today on May 25, 2018, when enforcement begins in earnest.

The law changes the rules for companies that collect, store or process large amounts of information on residents of the EU, requiring more openness about what data they have and who they share it with.

It also means any company with a digital presence in the EU (which for the time being still includes the UK) will have to comply with the law or face steep penalties.

It’s not just the household names of the internet like Facebook that will have to comply. Health care providers, insurers, banks and any other company dealing in sensitive personal data will also be on the hook.

Justin Jaffe is a contributor (and former full-time editor) for CNET who previously wrote for publications including Wired and Laptop Magazine. He’s cofounder of Rapport, a sustainability software company.

Laura Hautala writes about cybersecurity and privacy. She joined CNET News from the San Francisco Daily Journal, where she covered securities fraud, corporate misdeeds, shrinking unions and people who sue their bosses. She’s also written for the Los Angeles Times, Politico and the East Bay Express, among others. Laura is a native of Tacoma, Wash. and holds degrees from Saint Mary’s College of California and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. She’s based in San Francisco. Cutesy: FSC

(Published 2018/05/28 at 5:10 am)