Companies large and small are updating their privacy policies and
service terms to comply with upcoming European Union rules governing
data and privacy. Only EU users are technically covered by the rules, formally known as the General Data Protection Regulation.
But
many companies are making broader changes anyway, at least to some
degree. Here's a look at how three leading internet companies - Facebook, Google, and Twitter - are adapting to a post-GDPR world.
Facebook
In March, Facebook updated its privacy controls in hopes of making them easier to find and understand. CEO Mark Zuckerberg
has said Facebook intends to offer those same controls and settings
around the world, even though the GDPR governs only EU users.
But
Facebook has been vague about applying other GDPR provisions to
non-Europeans. That includes one that lets Europeans object to the
processing of personal data, such as for marketing.
Facebook has
also ramped up efforts to get your permission to use facial recognition
to automatically identify people in photos - for instance, to make it
easier to tag friends or to let you know if someone uses your photo.
Facebook has been using that technology in much of the world for six
years, but not in the EU and Canada, where privacy laws are stronger.
Now,
EU and Canadian users are being invited to turn that feature on.
Facebook says it will eventually ask everyone to reaffirm the use of
facial recognition; the company previously assumed consent unless users
took the initiative to turn that off.
Though Facebook isn't making
major changes to its data practices, its new privacy policy has one
subtle change. Previously, all users outside the US and Canada were
legally managed by Facebook's Irish subsidiary. Under the new rules,
everyone outside Europe will be fall under the jurisdiction of its U.S.
headquarters.
That
means users in Asia, for instance, won't get the EU privacy
protections. Facebook didn't explicitly announce the change; The
Associated Press confirmed it through checks in six countries.
Facebook
also plans to offer a less-personalized version of its service for EU
teens to comply with requirements it obtain parental permission before
kids under 16 can, for instance, list their political or religious views
online. In the U.S., the cutoff is lower, at 13. Facebook won't ask for
parental consent in such cases outside the EU, but will ask teens
themselves I they want these features.
Google
Google
also isn't making major changes to its data practices, although it did
rewrite its privacy policy to make it easier to understand. It now
includes video to explain concepts better. Section headers have larger
fonts, and links to related settings are more clearly marked. Google
also expanded many sections to more fully explain how it collects and
uses data.
Google is also expanding the availability of Family
Link, a feature that lets parents create Google accounts for their
children. As part of this, parents will have to give consent to comply
with new EU provisions governing teens.
The feature also gives
parents tools to control Android devices, such as locking the child's
device and blocking apps. Family Link was already available in 11
countries, including the US, the UK, and Ireland. Google is now making
that available in the rest of the EU.
Twitter
Twitter's
new policy includes a few exemptions just for Europeans. Twitter says
it may receive log data from websites that embed tweets or tweet
buttons. But its policy now states that Twitter won't collect such data
"from browsers that we believe" are in the EU and four countries linked
to the EU by trade agreements - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and
Switzerland.
Twitter also provides a link to contact its data
protection officer, but says it's for those in the EU or those four
non-EU countries. Twitter doesn't say what will happen when someone
outside Europe tries to make contact through that link
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How Google, Facebook Will Adapt to Europe's New Privacy Law
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