New privacy rules trigger email deletions

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Recently, many of us have received emails that ask us to approve the storage of personal data in our inbox.The background to this are new rules from the 1st of July.

 

This summer, the EU’s new privacy regulations introduce ‘GDPR’, which set new requirements for how businesses and organizations use the information they have about us.In Norway, the changes take place on the 1st of July, while EU countries will introduce the new rules already by the first Friday coming. On Tuesday, parliament decided to incorporate the regulation into the EEA Agreement and make the necessary changes to the Personal Data Act.

“Everyone who wants to store and use information about us must obtain consent, so most of us will now get a bunch of emails and alerts in apps and web pages,” explained Marius Karlsen to NTB news.He is the concept developer in ‘Polaris Media’, and has worked in digital media and marketing for a number of years.

Adds information again

“Many people feel it’s enough to get an email from people they do not even know or remember that they have a relationship with,” said Karlsen, adding that all the requests that come in may be an opportunity to become aware of what they are giving up.

“Wherever we move on the web and digital platforms, we re-enter information, including who we are, where we are, what we click and what web sites we’re looking at. In addition, all that we actively enter, such as name, address, email and phone number.”

Must protect the users

The new rules are aimed at anyone who collects data about us and the goal is to protect consumers. Among other things, the regulation will ensure that companies only get access to what they need to know to provide you with the service you want. And even what they are allowed to store, they must delete when the customer relationship expires.

‘’They must also ask permission to use what they know about you, for example, to target you with what you like to see. And it does not matter that they make
a big button where you can press “Yes to Everything”.They must ask for consent for each way they want to use the information,” explained Karlsen. And it does not help if you have been using a service for many years, you must now actively give your consent.

‘’If the authorities do an inspection, the players must be able to prove that you have said yes.’’

Karlsen also pointed out that some information is extra sensitive.

‘’There may be things like gender, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs or weight that can be sensitive, and therefore the exercise app on the phone or your watch must ask for permission to store your weight,’’ he said.

Just sit still

The new rules are stricter than the current regulations, but although there is a lot to deal with for those who collect information, Karlsen said that it is not particularly complicated for most people.

‘’For us as users, it’s really just to be calm and observant when it comes to who we approve,and what kind of data we give them.

Retrieval of information

He also reminded us that each of us has the opportunity to receive the information a company has about us.

“Here in Europe, it is often not very exciting. There are some stories from the United States where people discovered that others are sitting on some pretty juicy details about them, but it is because of the regulations of what can be collected about people not being as strict there.’’

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today