Many still think that GDPR compliance in the US isn’t needed but according to a study mentioned by the Competition Policy International (CPI) organization, 67% of the top 1,000 websites in the United States were found in violation of the GDPR.
67 % of US websites violate European data protection laws
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into effect in 2018, is one of several rules implemented by the European Union to protect digital identities.
According to one survey, the GDPR was violated by 67% of the top 1,000 websites in the United States, making American websites among the worst offenders of these regulations.
There are a variety of infractions at work here, with:
⚠️ 43% of websites failing to provide European users the option to opt-out of selling their data;
⚠️ 55 % failing to alert European users of cookies when they first visit the site; and
⚠️ 32 % of sites using ad trackers, without European users consent.
But why should US companies care about GDPR compliance?
- Companies in the US can be fined even if they’re not in Europe; and
- European data protection laws like the GDPR (which still applies to the UK) give users the right to sue where their rights have been violated (this is similar to American laws like the CCPA in California)
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Unless companies agree to change their operations for European visitors, this lack of compliance could have severe consequences for them.
Violation of the GDPR can result in a range of penalties that can go up to $120,000. EU data protection Authreties hand out a lot of fines for various businesses, so it’s a good idea to ensure you aren’t one of them!
