The parent post explicitly says they don't have a problem with 3rd parties storing personal information hoovered up from LinkedIn.
The GDPR is very relevant here - restrictions around the storage and processing of personal information is the whole point of it.
While this might seem like a grey area (given the information is public), the GDPR is actually very clear here - you cannot store and process PI without the consent of those individuals.
Not in any way shape or form defending 'Harvesting LinkedIn data'- I think it's quite bad. But I'm getting a little concerned by all these 'but GPDR!' arguments I'm seeing out there.
The EU is not a world government, and the GPDR should not apply to non-EU citizens. Europe cannot regulate what I do here in America- the law is not simply applicable. (And I say this as someone that supports more tech company regulation here in the US!) Things like France trying to apply your 'right to be forgotten' to the entire world's Google search results are extremely troubling.
Don't apply your country/region's laws to non-citizens, please :)
(As an American) I don't think that America should have that much power, no. I'm also cautiously keeping an eye on the direction where Chinese regulation will go here too
While this does not apply to LinkedIn, GDPR does not protect you at all, even if you are a full-fledged EU citizen, on sites that do not intend to serve the EU market. Mere accessibility from the EU is not enough to prove this intent.
One could also argue that by having a fine structure that disproportionately affects small businesses (thus consolidating power, money, and personal data in the hands of a few large businesses), GDPR doesn't protect you even on those sites that are subject to it. Some might say that it is actually a privacy killer. But I'll leave that discussion for another day.
> a fine structure that disproportionately affects small businesses
That's simply untrue. From fines already levied we've seen small businesses getting fines of a few thousands, while BA is getting a fine of a couple of hundred million pounds.
The facts are not disputable, as they are contained in the plain text of GDPR for everyone to see. The legislation allows for fines of up to 4% of global revenues, or €20 million, whichever is greater. So the “Googles” of the world face fines of no more than 4% of a single year of revenue. Small businesses face potential fines that could be 100,000% (or more) of their annual revenue, because most businesses make far less than €20 million annually.
That seems like the very definition of disproportionate to me.
That's the maximum fine. The fine that would be levied in a particular case would be dependent on the circumstances of the case.
> Due regard should however be given to the nature, gravity and duration of the infringement, the intentional character of the infringement, actions taken to mitigate the damage suffered, degree of responsibility or any relevant previous infringements, the manner in which the infringement became known to the supervisory authority, compliance with measures ordered against the controller or processor, adherence to a code of conduct and any other aggravating or mitigating factor. The imposition of penalties including administrative fines should be subject to appropriate procedural safeguards in accordance with the general principles of Union law and the Charter, including effective judicial protection and due process.
EU law requires that all fines and penalties be proportionate. Fining a small business 100,000% of their annual revenue is clearly not proportionate. It's groundless FUD.
The proportionality is not in GDPR or any individual law, but set out in the framework treaty under which all EU laws function.
That's not accurate. The part that I think is causing you some confusion could be this section of chapter I
> (23) In order to ensure that natural persons are not deprived of the protection to which they are entitled under this Regulation, the processing of personal data of data subjects who are in the Union by a controller or a processor not established in the Union should be subject to this Regulation where the processing activities are related to offering goods or services to such data subjects irrespective of whether connected to a payment
...so if you're offering any goods or services to non EU citizens who are in the EU but you are a non EU company, GDPR still applies if the processing relates to offering them goods and services.
Note however:
> (22) Any processing of personal data in the context of the activities of an establishment of a controller or a processor in the Union should be carried out in accordance with this Regulation, regardless of whether the processing itself takes place within the Union
...and...
> (24) The processing of personal data of data subjects who are in the Union by a controller or processor not established in the Union should also be subject to this Regulation when it is related to the monitoring of the behaviour of such data subjects in so far as their behaviour takes place within the Union.
So monitoring of EU data subjects by non-EU companies and processing data relating to their activities in the EU are definitely covered by GDPR even if you don't intend to offer them goods and services.
You're actually ignoring the relevant part of recital 23:
"Whereas the mere accessibility of the controller’s, processor’s or an intermediary’s website in the Union, of an email address or of other contact details, or the use of a language generally used in the third country where the controller is established, is insufficient to ascertain such intention, factors such as the use of a language or a currency generally used in one or more Member States with the possibility of ordering goods and services in that other language, or the mentioning of customers or users who are in the Union, may make it apparent that the controller envisages offering goods or services to data subjects in the Union."
In other words, don't offer a site in EU languages, accept EU currencies, or ship to the EU and GDPR does not apply (unless you are based there).
The GDPR is very relevant here - restrictions around the storage and processing of personal information is the whole point of it.
While this might seem like a grey area (given the information is public), the GDPR is actually very clear here - you cannot store and process PI without the consent of those individuals.