Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, is a great piece of legislation for anyone who is concerned about their own privacy. However, not everyone is enthused about the new restrictions. In a letter to the Wall Street Journal entitled, The EU’s gift to Cybercriminals, lawyers Brian Finch and Steven Farmer claim:
“Police will be robbed of ready access to vital data drastically impeding their efforts to identify and shut down illicit activity. The regulatory rubric the EU has created will make it harder than ever to catch computer hackers.”
While I suspect the work of law enforcement authorities will become more difficult, I will suggest that reason alone should not be reason to repeal the GDPR. That brings to mind an old saying about “throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” The new law undoubtedly does increase privacy for criminals but let’s not forget that it also offers many benefits for law-abiding individuals worldwide.
Brian Finch and Steven Farmer’s letter may be found on the Wall Street Journal web site at https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-eus-gift-to-cybercriminals-1527517362.
NOTE: The Journal allows free access to a few of its articles every month but if you go to the web site often you may be blocked and asked to subscribe in order to gain access. If you are blocked, open an incognito window in your web browser and go to the URL again. That works for many people but not for everyone.
My thanks to W David Samuelsen for telling me about this article.
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Categories: Legal Affairs, Online Privacy & Security
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