The General Data Protection Regulation is finally in force in the EU. From today on, people will get new rights to their personal information, including much tougher penalties for companies that don’t adequately protect personal data, with the aim of stopping breaches in the future. The law will now try to prevent any misuse or mishandling of personal data relating to citizens and residents based in the wider European Union. It allows individuals the right to access, rectify, and delete their personal data and to object to the processing of their data for marketing purposes. It gives power to the concerned authorities to levy fines on companies implementing the law, up to a maximum of 4% of their global turnover, or 20 million euros in the alternative. It has also put a mandate on companies to appoint a DPO who will ensure that the said company complies with the law.
The same companies must, in the case of a data breach, report such breaches to the relevant supervisory authority not later than 72 hours after becoming aware of their occurrence. The new law has been warmly received by privacy supporters, who think it could serve to protect people from the potential abuses of their personal data. However, some companies have expressed concerns about the complexity of the law and the potential for high compliance costs. **Update 2: New Bill to Reform US Immigration Policy Introduced** Fresh legislation passed by the House of Representatives in the US seeks to reform the immigration policy of the country. With strong support from a large majority, the legislator championing the bill, going by the nomenclature of the “Dream and Promise Act,” seeks to help millions without status, brought to the US as children, become citizens. Indeed, more so, what this bill would do is provide temporary protections for groups such as immigrants who are victims of gang violence and domestic violence.
More Read
The bill would increase funding for border security, modernize, and streamline the asylum process. It is supported by many Democrats in Congress and is seen as a key part of efforts to deal with the country’s long-standing immigration crisis, but it will probably be opposed by Republicans, who have generally criticized efforts that provide a clear pathway toward citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Much praise, according to immigration advocates, has been given to the bill, saying that it will bring relief to many millions who have lived for years with uncertainty. On the other hand, this same bill has been criticized by some lawmakers on the grounds that it does not explore reasons for immigration from its roots. Now that the bill has been passed through committee, it is heading for a vote in a House committee and will then come to the floor in the next few weeks. It would then obviously fast-track into the Senate, where it requires a vote by a simple majority before heading to the desk of President Donald Trump, where arguably one of the hardest legislative deals in recent memory would be completed.
