Post date: Jun 19, 2018 3:19:32 PM
At time of writing (late June 2018) it appears that many sites aren’t up to date with the General Data Protection Regulation which came into force in late May 2018 including at least one law firm...
Still on some sites users don’t have a choice r.e. cookies and this may not be compliant with GDPR as implied consent / consent given simply by visiting a site is not enough: https://eugdprcompliant.com/cookies-consent-gdpr/ & https://www.cookiebot.com/en/gdpr-cookies/. It is possible that GDPR cookie complaints become a way of inflicting harm on online competition: see https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/cookies/ & the ICO reporting tool https://wh.snapsurveys.com/s.asp?k=150296439091.
There are multiple tiers of fines that can be levied under the GDPR:
1) Up to €10 million, or 2% annual global turnover (whichever is higher)
2) Up to €20 million, or 4% annual global turnover (whichever is higher)
It’s hard to see ‘Mom & Pop’ internet retailers being hit with huge fines but it will pay to make sure your house is in order!