Since May 2018, companies targeting customers in Europe must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including American companies that do business in the EU. The GDPR has been celebrated by many experts as the new standard to protect personal data through comprehensive rules and the threat of stiff penalties for non-compliance. In the United States, on the other hand, the right to privacy is perceived as an individual liberty that protects citizens against government intrusion in their lives but not necessarily against private entities. The difference in perceptions of privacy may help explain why the United States has not yet sought to pass legislation similar to the GDPR, even if public opinion seems worried about surveillance activities carried out by American companies.
In this presentation, the speakers will explore the intentions
behind the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), what it protects and why, and how it compares to the U.S.
approach to privacy. The strengths and shortcomings of both legal systems on privacy and data
protection regulation will also be explored. The speakers will also assess possible American responses to data privacy protection.
