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GDPR compliance: US websites block UK and EU readers as new data rules come into force

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USA Today readers were offered a 'European Union experience'

USA Today readers were offered a 'European Union experience' (USA Today)


American websites have blocked readers in the UK and European Union as new data protection rules came into force.
Today’s introduction of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) led sites including the New York Daily News, LA Times and Chicago Tribune to become “temporarily unavailable” to readers in Europe.
The regulations give EU citizens more say on how their personal data is used.
Under the rules organisations must obtain consent to collect information or face huge fines.

The new GDPR laws have left EU readers unable to access American sites (New York Daily News)

Other sites including Time Magazine and the Washington Post now ask readers to agree to new terms and conditions before they can enter the site.
Lee Enterprises, which publishes 46 daily newspapers in the US states, put up a statement saying: “We’re sorry. This site is temporarily unavailable..”
USA Today is offering fans a “European Union experience”.

The Chicago Tribune was among those to block UK and EU citizens (Chicago Tribune)

A message posted on the site read: “We are directing you to our EU Experience.
“This site does not collect personally identifiable information or persistent identifiers from, deliver a personalised experience to, or otherwise track or monitor persons reasonably identified as visiting our site from the European Union. 


“We do identify EU internet protocol (IP) addresses for the purpose of determining whether to direct you to USA TODAY NETWORK’s EU Experience.”
NPR media offers European visitors a choice of agreeing to accept US data rules or viewing a plain text version of the news website.

People in the EU can no longer access the LA Times (LA Times)

The US-based email unsubscription service unroll.me has also blocked EU users, as has the History.com website. Users of services such Twitter, Facebook and Yahoo were asked to update their privacy settings covering opt-in.
The glitches came amid widespread confusion over the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation, which gives the public far greater control over and access to information that companies and organisations hold on them.  
Britain has pledged to comply with the rules beyond Brexit. The threat of huge fines running to millions of pounds for breaches of the rules has also triggered panic among small businesses.
Alan Soady, head of media at the Federation of Small Business, said: “We’ve had a lot of calls. The threat of fines will play on the minds of small business owners. People are realising data is not just someone’s credit card details, it can be as simple as their phone number.”
Sources said Google held meetings in London and New York to discuss with publishers how to integrate the new rules into their apps.
UK Information commissioner Elizabeth Denham told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The focus of our enforcement is not going to be on the high street butcher’s shop, or the gardening business ... We’re going to be focused on businesses that deliberately, persistently or negligently misuse data.”

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