TAZ updated to comply with GDPR

[The Sandman]

Maybe I'm particularly anal today, but why exactly do we need to agree to the privacy policy and TOS? We already know they exist, and neither of them contain personally identifying information.

Now TAZ can demonstrate that you knew and give an exact date and time of your acceptance.

 

[craigForo]

I got the Facebook algo on you of where you live.

Bring scotch and cigars.

 

[Nev_Dull]

Now TAZ can demonstrate that you knew and give an exact date and time of your acceptance.

I get that, and I guess that's nice to know (though it ought to be the same date and time as when someone chooses to join). However, GDPR is really only concerned with what personal information the site collects and what you plan to do with it. That's where logging consent is needed. It's not like members can opt out of TAZ's privacy policy or TOS.

 

[mysiteguy]

What does this mean even? EU users can’t post quality content? I do think some are taking this a bit far.

A response against a taking it too far regulation. Cookie and GDPR notices on so many sites I visited today, it's turned the web into a major pain in the ass.

 

[Pete]

If only people could be trusted not to sell peoples' data in the first place, there wouldn't have been a need to respond with such heavy-handed legislation.

 

[Maddox]

It's not like members can opt out of TAZ's privacy policy or TOS.

No, but it does give users a choice and this is partly what the GDPR is about, the privacy policy tells you (or ought to) what is happening to your data so you have a choice to agree or not. If you don't agree then you don't use the site because of how it uses your data. As for T&C's they can change as time progresses and once again it gives the user an opportunity to choose - to blindly click OK without reviewing either could be detrimental. It's like signing your name at the bottom of an agreement without reviewing and then something happens which you 'may believe' you have recourse against only to find out you waived your rights away. It's something we have all done and will most likely do again, but if something comes back and bites you in the butt, well that says it all lol.

 

[Nev_Dull]

I agree with all that. I always send new members a copy of the Ts & Cs, privacy policy, and forum rules when they join (as well as urging them to read them over before joining). I also post notices of any changes or updates. It's a good practice, but strictly speaking it isn't part of GDPR compliance to get consent for reading or glancing over those documents. For GDPR compliance, TAZ really should be setting all new users to not receive email for any reason, so they can truly opt-in, and should request consent (with option to opt out) for all members, if there are any ads on the site that gather data or track members.

 

[mysiteguy]

If only people could be trusted not to sell peoples' data in the first place, there wouldn't have been a need to respond with such heavy-handed legislation.

True, but it's another example of how governments take a shotgun approach.

The privacy violators tend to be larger companies (along with many people naive to believe there was such a thing as "free") - yet sites of all sizes are caught up in this

A great many sites did nothing to violate user's privacy, especially smaller sites, and are scrambling to comply on a "technical" level while their practices on a policy level didn't violate privacy.

I know, I'm venting frustration, but I believe my gripes are legitimate.

 

[pierce]

We have this problem in my industry. There's a black box recorder and when sonetsome goes wrong it makes this god awful squeal. It happens so frequently that the only thing you see is the button to mute it. The new regulation is that it makes 0 noise because staff got so blind to the alarm codes.

I guess everyone in the EU is going blind with emails requesting permission. Cookie notices, privacy notices and t&C's... It's the same blindness.

 

[eva2000]

We found it eaiser and more effective to just ban anyone from the EU.

Inadvertantly this has greatly increased the quality of the content posted on the site.

we should of done this years ago.

Thank You

You're not the only one doing this US websites block netizens in Europe: Why are they ghosting EU? It's not you, it's GDPR

Folks trying to read the NY Daily News, say, or the Chicago Tribune – the third-biggest US daily newspaper – online from a location within the EU have been blocked from visiting the websites due to new data protection laws.

These publishers are not alone in their black-and-white approach to compliance. Over the past few weeks a number of companies that believed they were going to fail to meet the bar appear to have decided it was easier to pull the plug on EU users.

That includes Pinterest-owned Instapaper – the app to save and read articles – this week announced it would be unavailable for users in the EU "as it makes changes" in light of GDPR. Boss Brian Donohue apologised on Twitter.

some went to very extreme

Meanwhile, some firms have decided to call it a day: social media reputation score site Klout went kaput today, with its owner deciding that shuttering it was the best route to compliance.

 

[doubt]

some went to very extreme

So what's left for the EU citizens who want to read those sites?
VPNs with US IPs will make some good earnings.(Until unblocked)

 

[\o/]

The GDPR made the web faster though: A number of news sites added a non-JS version to comply with the "don't spy" rule.

https://text.npr.org/
https://eu.usatoday.com/

I wish that forum owners would de-JS their themes as well. Wheeee!

 

[mysiteguy]

The GDPR made the web faster though: A number of news sites added a non-JS version to comply with the "don't spy" rule.

https://text.npr.org/
https://eu.usatoday.com/

I wish that forum owners would de-JS their themes as well. Wheeee!

Interactive sites would pretty much see a great many of their features disappear. The last thing I want is a forum with no javascript!

 

[\o/]

All forums are interactive. If I had the choice between a fast and a shiny forum, I'd choose the fast one. Of course, to each their own.

 

[mysiteguy]

Page loads on my XF forums average 250 milliseconds or less. Javascript isn't slowing it down.

 

[eva2000]

Well banning by IP is only as good as the IP geolocation database data that the IP address has on file. That IP geolocation data isn't always up to date and will be more so after January 2019 when legacy maxmind geoip database is EOL completely - though geoip legacy database stopped updating back in March 2018. Folks will need to move to using newer geoip2 lite/paid geolocation database to get their IP address geo data from.

 

[pierce]

What about satellite broadband?

You could be anywhere in Europe and the land earth station is in the USA, with USA ips.....

And spacex broadband services..

 

[we_are_borg]

Its easier to update your software and be GDPR compliant then use IP to block users or use paid services to block EU countries.

 

[mysiteguy]

What about satellite broadband?

You could be anywhere in Europe and the land earth station is in the USA, with USA ips.....

And spacex broadband services..

The code I'm writing classifies satellite and proxy IP addresses the same as EU.

 

[mysiteguy]

Its easier to update your software and be GDPR compliant then use IP to block users or use paid services to block EU countries.

It takes about 15 minutes to block EU IP addresses. I'd say that's easier.