Here we are, four days beyond May 25th – the date when enforcement of the Global Data Protection Regulation was to begin.  So far, no planes have fallen from the sky (remember dire Y2K warnings?) and no specific enforcement actions by the EU have been announced. Privacy activist Max Schrems’ organization noby.eu immediately filed $8.8 billion in lawsuits against Facebook and Google. But what of the EU regulators?  What are their plans?

Only time will tell.  I get the feeling that what will happen with GDPR enforcement is kind of like the Super Bowl.  There has been incessant conversation and speculation leading up to May 25th, and now the game has begun.  It will be played out on the field over the next months and years.  Then we will really know what will happen.

An Dark Reading article, “GDPR Oddsmakers: Who, Where, When Will Enforcement Hit First?”, includes some interesting speculation and advice from privacy experts.  I particularly like a comment in the article by  says Dave Lewis, global security advocate at Akamai Technologies. 

There has been an inordinate amount of focus on the potential fines. The reality is that GDPR is very much a push towards ensuring the accountability of the data for which [companies] are stewards.

If that accountability really improves, we should cheer GDPR, not live in fear of its dire consequences.

My two cents …