back to article Say GDP-aaaRrrgh, streamers: Max Schrems is coming for you, Netflix and Amazon

Streaming services aren't complying with EU data protection law - namely the General Data Protection Regulation's right of access - according to a fresh suite of complaints aimed at the likes of Netflix, Amazon and Spotify. Safe Harbor destroyer Max Schrems' privacy group NOYB (for None Of Your Business) today announced it had …

  1. Will Godfrey Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Popcorn time

    I shall be watching this with great interest.

  2. Velv

    So Max Schrems is going to be popular in Europe when the EU shuts down all these streaming services.

    No doubt I’ll be forced to talk to the wife :O

    1. Zippy´s Sausage Factory

      To be fair, similar legislation is probably coming in the USA sooner or later, depending on when the relevant senators / congress representatives* get their act together (I know at least one senator has proposed something similar to GDPR in the last few weeks)

      * not sure if this is the right term?

      1. Gene Cash Silver badge

        > similar legislation is probably coming in the USA

        Hm. I'd expect it to be watered down to the point of uselessness, and nowhere near the potential teeth of GDPR. Only California has the fortitude to actually do something useful, and that's usually hit-and-miss as well.

        I have a gut feeling that the proposed "similar to GDPR" bill is going to be silently tabled.

        1. vtcodger Silver badge

          I have a gut feeling that the proposed "similar to GDPR" bill is going to be silently tabled.

          Barring some sort of digital disaster that moves our legislators to action, I wouldn't expect significant privacy legislation in the US before 2021-2022 at the soonest. The self-immolation of the Republican Party assisted by the Democrats enthusiastic Molotov cocktail bombardment will probably paralyze the government this year and the 2020 election will do the same next. Privacy is a complex issue. If our legislators can figure out that they actually have to think (for a change) before passing privacy laws, it'll take a few years to get a law passed and placed on the President's desk for signature.

          1. stiine Silver badge

            I think you're being a little too optomistic...

    2. Scunner

      Why would the streaming services have to shut down? All they need to do is respond to GDPR information requests properly.

      1. Gene Cash Silver badge

        Sure, but these companies have a track record of simply ignoring the EU or telling them GTFO.

        1. Captain Hogwash
          Coat

          Re: GTFO

          Get their freak on?

        2. robidy

          Until they face a multi million/billion dollar fine.

          Then sudden the cry the and scream that the nasty EU are picking on them.

    3. DropBear
      Thumb Up

      I for one will be applauding regardless of what does or does not get shut down (not that anyone was talking about shutting anything). It looks like NOYB is doing _exactly_ what I'm paying them for.

    4. Len

      I don't see them being shutdown, if they don't comply with the law they will simply be fined. Shutting down would only happen if they don't pay their fines, keep re-offending and things escalate to criminal legal proceedings.

      We are a very long way from that and very few businesses would want to miss 500 million of the wealthiest customers in the world.

      1. UncleNick

        As far as the companies mentioned go, I thought that we were the product - not the customer?

        1. Venture5

          That is a good oversimplification, w are both and the product to costumer radio depends on the company. For example Netflix has paying costumers and isn't primarily selling your data, and probably does so mostly to sell you more stuff themselves. YouTube on the other hand has you mostly as a product, but selling wealthy customers is better than poor ones cause they're selling you're data (well, add space targeted to a demographic in Google's case) to people that want it so they can sell you stuff.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        > We are a very long way from that and very few businesses would want to miss 500 million of the wealthiest customers in the world.

        The (obviously very savvy) brexit voters don't see that as important.

        1. Jimmy2Cows Silver badge
          FAIL

          Really?

          Again with Brexit. WTF has this got to do with Brexit?

          1. Jamie Jones Silver badge

            Re: Really?

            GDPR is a European law, that the USA will be very keen for the UK to drop if we want any kind of deal.

            Mind you, our own paranoid snooping governments won't be sad to see it go either.

            As for the specific comment, well, it's a response to the comment that businesses wouldn't want to lose out on a 500 million audience.. Try telling the brexiters that!

            1. matt 83

              Re: Really?

              Although if we did drop the GDPR we'd be locked out of handling EU data so that isn't likely to happen.

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The same companies usually ready to kneel to Chinese rules for money? At least GDPR doesn't pave the way to a 're-education' camp.

    6. Velv
      Coat

      Sheesh, some people have no sense of humour

  3. Rol

    Standardised t&c's

    The internet has been around long enough now, that it wouldn't be such a hard task to cobble together a standardised agreement that would suffice for all but the most divisive of organisations. Even then, the more sinister companies could be forced to frame their terms and conditions in relation to the standard, and explicitly state where the two diverge.

    Any use of obfuscating legalese in bespoke conditions would automatically render the whole contract null and void.

    The result would be that customers could be safe in the knowledge that signing a standard contract would not have their mouth sewn into another users arse, because they didn't read the 157th page of the t&c's they were signing. (thank you South Park for the image that just won't go away)

  4. eldakka
    Pint

    To NOYB and Max!

    If I was young a cute I'd be be a cheerleader for Max and NOYB.

    Since I'm old and fat, I'll just toast them (hence the icon).

  5. John Jennings

    sounds like...

    They are ignoring their DPO as well.....

    While its legal to do so, it requires an organisation to fully justify why.

    Surprised that this hasn't been bought up yet.

    the DPO is involved, closely and in a timely manner, in all data protection matters;

    the DPO reports to the highest management level of your organization, i.e. the board;

    1. Paul Smith

      Re: sounds like...

      What a waste of good coffee, could I have another another keyboard please?

      I just searched the intranet of the Company I work for (a European company with 100,000+ employees) for the key words "Data Protection Officer" and got zero matches. We ain't got no stinkin DPO!

      The last time I dealt with a DPO was when I tried to resolve an issue with a telecom's company who claimed I had extended a contract over the phone and wanted to charge me early termination fees. The Data Protection Office had one single employee who was off on extended leave. (The temporary secretary who was covering for him told me that she probably shouldn't say, but that she thought it was stress related).

    2. matt 83

      Re: sounds like...

      Only a few organisations are required to have a DPO. Off the top of my head it's just government agencies and maybe healthcare.

  6. DeanCollins

    All your base doesnt not belong to us.

    Looking forward to smaller companies without operations/staff/business (eg no nexus to the EU like Soundcloud) telling the EU to go and jump about GDPR.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: All your base doesnt not belong to us.

      Upvote for AYB reference :-)

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