What does it actually mean when you ask an organisation to be forgotten?
Up until now, companies like Facebook have kept detailed records of everything you do on their platform.
They use this information to aid advertisers to target their best possible audience, which is how they made a good chunk of their money.
It seems fair right, Facebook provides you with a free, comprehensive social media platform in exchange for the ability to provide advertisers with your information.
The problem is companies like Facebook have tried to take advantage of this relationship by claiming permanent ownership over this information in their terms of use agreement with users.
This means even if you left the platform and are no longer using their services, Facebook could do whatever they want with this very personal information without your consent and continue to monetize it without providing you value in return.
To truly have Facebook forget you, they would have to purge their database of data connected to you personally.
GDPR (The General Data Protection Regulation ) promises to protect the personal data of European citizens by regulating how businesses use and store their customer’s information.
With many challenges for companies to stay compliant at their own expense, is this really going to protect privacy and protect your right to be forgotten?
The GDPR guidelines are strict and mandate accountability of businesses who aim to utilize data to grow in the marketplace.
This means everything from hiring a GDPR compliance specialist to having regular audits, in order to make sure citizens personal data isn’t vulnerable.
Businesses will be forced to foot the bill of becoming compliant and develop new long-term strategies for maximizing their relationship with customers.
Enforcement is sure to be a costly expense for the public and a monumental task as well. Does this mean businesses can’t keep a long-term detailed record of their customers?
The short answer: Yes.
Businesses operating in the EU marketplace will no longer be able to involuntarily store your data long term.
This not only drastically shrinks your long-term digital footprint, it makes sensitive records less likely to be abused.
Government intelligence agencies are not yet beholden to this same regulation but the ability for EU citizens to publicly “digitally vanish” is a reality that seems to be right around the corner.
The GDPR guidelines are strict and mandate accountability of businesses who aim to utilize data to grow in the marketplace. This means everything from hiring a GDPR compliance specialist to having regular audits, in order to make sure citizens personal data isn’t vulnerable.
Businesses will be forced to foot the bill of becoming compliant and develop new long-term strategies for maximizing their relationship with customers. Enforcement is sure to be a costly expense for the public and a monumental task as well. Does this mean businesses can’t keep a long-term detailed record of their customers?
The short answer: Yes. Businesses operating in the EU marketplace will no longer be able to involuntarily store your data long term. This not only drastically shrinks your long-term digital footprint, it makes sensitive records less likely to be abused. Government intelligence agencies are not yet beholden to this same regulation but the ability for EU citizens to publicly “digitally vanish” is a reality that seems to be right around the corner.
This trend is growing internationally in wake of the widely publicized Cambridge Analytica/ Facebook scandal. Governments in other major countries are looking to possibly implement similar regulations in the very near future. Like in the EU, intelligence agencies will probably have a way to make sure you never “vanish” quite completely.
Is there a practical solution to this major issue? The Pillar Foundation was set up to solve problems just like this with the efficiency and precision of software. By putting users in control of the data exchange relationship, businesses are forced to provide continuous value if they wish to benefit from the consensual exchange of data on the Pillar platform.
By storing data in an encrypted, decentralized personal data locker, users won’t have to worry about a database hack like we have seen in the past. Their information will be safe and only released on a transnational basis, at their discretion. Not only will this cheaply and effectively keep businesses on the platform GDPR compliant, it means users data will be “forgotten” any time they choose.