We've all seen the European GDPR notices that publishers put on their pages and sites to warn how our data may be treated.
For many around the world this is a peculiar intervention. The 2018 European law seems to have outgrown its EU footprint and has an effect on users everywhere.
Within Europe it has spawned a whole industry of publishers advising on how to create GDPR compliance and alert users to their rights.
It is also an example of overreach in the European legislation that is causing many more tensions within the EU's digital sphere than outside it.
The particular issue of regulating social media entities by Europe is – frankly – an unformed battlefield. Lawyers are having a field day with the efforts of the Brussels-based European Commission to impose its fiat on social media operators.
Many of these battles are being fought in Ireland, a country of five million people that is having an outsize impact on digital regulation.
Brussels is not entirely comfortable with how the Irish are going about this but what is at stake may be just as important as anything Elon Musk is attempting at Twitter.
GDPR – the General Data Protection Regulation – set the rules for how companies can engage in profitable data processing. Each state in the EU is obliged to enforce the bloc-wide laws.
Dublin matters because it is the European headquarters of a series of Silicon Valley champions.
These are cross-border and cross-trading bloc companies that obviously seek to preserve business models based on uniform concepts of user-data gathering and targeted advertising.
Ireland's Data Protection Commission regularly doles out fines and advisories. It levied a €395 million ($429.6 million) penalty on Facebook Ireland at the start of the year. This business has annual revenue of more than €100 billion.
The issue was that Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp were relying on a broad interpretation of "I accept" consent to process data from a significant portion of the EU's 450 million people.
As big as the fine was, the Irish were targeted by the European regulator for not taking a tough enough approach.
A review of the Irish decision in Brussels set out the very different position that the EU would prefer. Seven decisions taken by the European Data Protection Board in its short life have basically signalled a desire to overturn the Irish approach. It has also resorted to orders to increase the penalties as a result.
Silicon Valley companies are not exactly bystanders in this and the scale of lobbying around the issue is massive.
For the moment though there is a clear battle line where the EU side wants to make simple declarations of GDPR contravention and probably impose maximalist fines or restrictions.
There is a reason why this is not happening. The Irish hold the authority to regulate, even if ultimate responsibility for the outcome is shared with the cross-European body.
For Ireland, the regulatory approach is grounded in a very different legal tradition. This means the starting point of the action must be generated by a compliant, evidence gathered and grounds established for launching proceedings.
Within that process comes the organic opportunity for mitigation and for the Silicon Valley firms to layer-in responses that cumulatively change the approach of the regulator.
It is also clear that the Irish regulator regards some of the European assertions as untested, with the head of the Data Protection Commission warning against rewriting the GDPR "as we would have liked to have seen it written".
There are echoes of the UK's post-Brexit agonies with its European legacy in all of this, even if Ireland is a staunch and wholehearted member of the bloc.
The UK Parliament is currently faced with legislation to remove more than 2,000, possibly as many as 4,000, retained EU laws in one swoop on December 31 this year.
The bill to revoke certain retained EU law is supported by those who believe that European-style legislation operates against the grain of the British common-law tradition, which that Ireland shares.
Experts warn that a series of safety measures will be scrapped without ready replacements that are in place and tested. However, the London government is going ahead, claiming that piecemeal replacement will clean up the overall legal framework.
Ireland has form in these matters. The government rejected a €13-billion back-tax fine imposed on Apple when the EU issued a ruling in 2016.
The sum has since remained in escrow and an EU court backed the Irish stance in 2020. The final appeal is expected to start sometime this year, with Dublin quite willing to see the windfall returned to Apple.
For those who fear that Ireland is too friendly to the Silicon Valley giants there is a calculation that the state is shaping policy to keep its tech sector onside.
At a time when Google, Microsoft and Meta are all announcing global staff cuts, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar is able to say with some confidence that the sector in Ireland is deep enough to ensure laid-off employees can find new work.
That shows the virtues of good regulation, which is not punitive but seeks to curb abuse and protect consumers, not make trophy punishment announcements an end in itself.
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200
Winner: Miqyaas, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Shanty Star, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Alkaamel, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Speedy Move, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Quartier Francois, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Samau Xmnsor, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Ottoman, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Sharkh, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Yaraa, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Maaly Al Reef, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Jinjal, Fabrice Veron, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Al Sail, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
MATCH INFO
Osasuna 1 Real Madrid 4
Osasuna: García (14')
Real Madrid: Isco (33'), Ramos (38'), Vázquez (84'), Jovic (90' 2)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
