The European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is now in effect. It was the most hotly debated issue of the EU’s history and you can quickly understand why?

GDPR is a set of guidelines for how companies use your personal data through digital devices. For sites like Facebook and browser, Google, you can no longer hand over the personal data of citizens without having asked if the citizens agree that you hand it over. And you cannot steal it and just tell them afterwards. That is not possible anymore in EU nations. On the day GDPR went into effect, Facebook and Google were hit with $8.8 billion in lawsuits for non-compliance. Yes the penalties are stiff for violating the rules.

So Why Should You Care?

Companies and marketers who wish to reach European consumers through programmatic ads must comply with the new privacy standards before they can do so. Publishers, like the New York Times and USA Today who run programmatic ads have been immediately impacted. Many publisher websites are now devoid of any ads within EU countries until they are certain that they are in compliance.

Thus, if you are a U.S. company pushing out programmatic ads into Europe you have been impacted. Your ad retargeting firm should have made you aware of the new regulations and their plan to address the issue. Secondly, you should look at your own privacy policies on your website and make your site GDRP compliant with a new privacy notice about how you handle customer data through cookies or other methods. That is why you have likely seen a flurry of e-mails from major brands that are noticing you of changes to their privacy policy.

Also note that there could be some degradation in the quality of information on your target audience in the short term as users of sites, such as Facebook, give consumers notice of new ways to limit the information about them and their lifestyle that Facebook can share.

In light of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal, additional regulations could be imposed here in the U.S.. That is if consumer complaints to their legislators can outweigh the lobbying power of powerful voices such as major digital media players, like Google, Facebook and the New York Times.

If you need to sort through how the GDRP could impact your business our Creative Energy team has been studying the matter for quite some time and can offer a roadmap for addressing the challenge. Just let us know and we can help.

GDPR is a set of guidelines for how companies use your personal data through digital devices. For sites like Facebook and browser, Google, you can no longer hand over the personal data of citizens without having asked if the citizens agree that you hand it over. And you cannot steal it and just tell them afterwards. That is not possible anymore in EU nations. On the day GDPR went into effect, Facebook and Google were hit with $8.8 billion in lawsuits for non-compliance. Yes the penalties are stiff for violating the rules.