The European Union has come in for criticism over its repeated attempts to regulate the web. Critics assert that waves of EU legislation are suppressing free expression, impairing the user experience and, most heinously, “killing memes”. The solution, for those who take this view, would appear to be simple: don’t hate on the EU – defy them.
Also read: How to Use a VPN in the EU to Access the Uncensored Web
Rules Were Made to Be Broken
The European Union has the power to make internet laws, and it’s been exercising that right with gusto of late. When it comes to enforcing them, however, its powers all but evaporate. This is an important distinction to note. A lot of the headlines surrounding the passing of copyright laws Article 11 and 13, and the recent GDPR data protection legislation, are hyperbolic. That’s not to say there aren’t valid concerns to be raised over the implications of these laws, but the media, as well as the webmasters obliged to implement the EU’s directives, have missed the point.
When you try to visit a US website, as a European resident, and are barred from doing so by a notice blaming GDPR, that’s not the EU. That’s the fault of the webmaster, who has unilaterally decided out of caution, ignorance, or stupidity, to impose a blockade. The EU is not going to come after US websites that fail to display GDPR notices – it has no authority to do so, and no interest in doing so either. The same applies, believe it or not, for websites hosted within the European Union.
If you live in the EU, you’re sure to have bemoaned the absolute state of the internet lately. Visiting any website for the first time calls for blindly clicking to remove the GDPR-based privacy notice concealing the page before you can proceed. It’s annoying once; having to do so dozens of times a day is infuriating. Americans and Asians, free from the excesses of the EU, have no idea how good they’ve got it. Many European regions benefit from super-fast internet, but what’s the point in getting online faster, only to waste time clicking through a panoply of pop-ups?
Stop Caring About What the EU Says
Defiance has always been more effective than protest. Grumbling about the EU’s encroachment into your life won’t fix anything – openly defying them will. This exhortation applies to website operators in particular. Webmasters: take down your pop-ups. Conceal your GDPR notices in the Terms of Use page, where nobody goes. Ignore unjustified Article 13 takedown requests. Get on with doing what you were doing before the EU decided to become internet world police.
You won’t have been assailed by a privacy pop-up upon visiting news.Bitcoin.com because we don’t believe in molly-coddling our readers. We believe in Bitcoin, and the principles it stands for: empowerment, self-determinism, free will, and resisting overreaching government dictates. Kowtowing to authorities seeking to tell you what you can do with your internet money and internet platforms is a recipe for more laws and less freedom. Webmasters and web users: unite, keep calm and defy the EU. It’s your internet. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do.
Do you think EU laws make the web a better place or a worse one? Let us know in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock, and Twitter.
OP-ed disclaimer: This is an Op-ed article. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. Bitcoin.com does not endorse nor support views, opinions or conclusions drawn in this post. Bitcoin.com is not responsible for or liable for any content, accuracy or quality within the Op-ed article. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the content. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any information in this Op-ed article.
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