The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is scheduled to take effect on May 25. While companies who serve customers in the EU have to adhere, there are numerous applications for civil society, journalists, academia, philanthropy, and the private sector as well. The GDPR represents an important step forward for envisioning a civic life where citizens are empowered not only as data producers but also data owners. Any conversation of leveraging data, technology, or innovation to enhance civic life or governance should seriously consider how such a framework could more deeply empower citizens in the United States.
The GDPR is a set of data protection laws that harmonize regulations across the entire European Union, ending the existing patchwork of cumbersome regulations across member countries. The EU Parliament approved the law in April 2016 to take effect after two years of transition time.
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