
DroneCI Shutting Down Forum Due to GDPR Complaints - donatj
https://discourse.drone.io/t/shutting-down-forum-gdpr/2297/11
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didgeoridoo
> The gdpr documentation is quite long and I lack the domain expertise to read
> and comprehend the document in full. Perhaps this is cultural, since the
> United States is a very litigious society, but I would not feel comfortable
> accepting liability for gdpr compliance without consulting an attorney.

This is a very common response to GDPR among Americans, and I think it is the
result of a cultural disconnect. Americans are generally suspicious of rules
and regulations that require substantial case-by-case interpretation and
“prosecutorial discretion”. We like our laws to apply exactly as-written, with
as few exceptions as possible (even when granting the exception would result
in a fairer or more ethical outcome).

All defenses of GDPR I’ve seen seem to rely on the idea that “oh they won’t
come after YOU for violating the letter of the law as long as you stay true to
the spirit of it”. This makes many Americans very nervous. It reminds me of
the HIPAA debacle, where good intent (Patient privacy! Portable information!)
has led to a generalized terror of touching health-related information in
electronic systems, and probably has set back digital health technology a
decade or more. You can argue that the privacy gains have been worth it — but
there’s no reason that a more explicit and specifically-written law couldn’t
have achieved the same with less downside.

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tomatotomato37
Don't forget the American government brought us gems like SOPA and FOSTA.
There is reason behind the American's fear of "well-meaning" regulation.

This is why I hope the GDPR causes companies to internationally throttle
themselves enough that we don't need a sibling bill stateside, because I can
guarantee that thing will be an absolute mess

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he0001
I believe that says more of the US than of having rules like GDPR. While the
EU can really mess things up, they do work on it. It seems like the US
legislation really have an inability to form laws like the GDPR. I think the
American people should have a bit more faith in the government and stop being
so binary about things, those rules might be evolved into something better.

Technically, I believe, it should be a lot harder to get consensus about
anything with such a diverse political landsacape like in Europe. However it
seems like it’s working to strengthen it (if we disregard the mishap of Great
Britain).

