The Digital Age: Setting Sail on Uncharted Waters

Have you heard about GDPR? Neither had I!

Living in the digital age is a little like setting sail on uncharted waters. The rapid expansion of information technology has and will affect us all in many ways: from data sharing and collection, politics, and even possibly our future employment opportunities.

While researching how GDPR impacts me as a blogger, I learned about how digital technology may be shaping the future for all of us, and how important it is that this technology be regulated. After viewing the videos I've linked later in this post, you may agree.

The topic of Internet security and the information we all share is more than a little scary. The GDPR or General Data Protection Regulation is an attempt to improve the handling of data and privacy protection of website users from the European Union (EU) and seems to be a very good idea.

Last week I sent out an email to subscribers of this blog's newsletter. In it, I provided an opportunity to update subscription preferences and I explained that I have updated my privacy policy. (You can read my privacy policy here and I encourage you to do so.) This was all done in an attempt to be compliant with the new EU global privacy data regulations (GDPR).

The GDPR is now in effect and has bloggers and website owners sort of scrambling to be sure we are compliant with the rules. While these rules are a good idea, what compliancy actually looks like is a little confusing.

Since my opt-in forms have always made it clear to subscribers that they will receive newsletter email updates from me and because I've always had a privacy policy posted on my blog, I think that I satisfy the GDPR regulations without having to delete any EU subscribers from my email list (as some website owners are having to do.)  While I have no current plans to delete anyone, I want my email list to be composed of people who want to hear from me!

Therefore, I encourage you to:

• Update your subscription preferences to my newsletter by clicking here.
• If you no longer want my emails about making the most of life's moments, you can unsubscribe by clicking here or on the link at the bottom of any of my newsletter emails.

If you are not getting my emails, you can sign up for my newsletter by clicking here. (I really hope you will!)

I send newsletters on days when new content is posted on this blog and also sometimes on occasions when I have other information to share. (You will also receive a free down-loadable and printable copy of my Ten Tips for Making the Most of ALL Your Moments, as a thank you for signing up.)

Many thanks to subscribers who have already updated their profiles with me.

I want all the visitors to my blog and subscribers of my newsletter to understand what data is collected on this blog and how it is used. The GDPR  regulations are currently only applicable to EU readers, but I believe Internet data privacy protection is important worldwide.

Could Our Digital Technology Lead to Our Demise?

My convictions about the need for regulating digital privacy were strengthened when I listened to these fascinating lectures:

Ted Talks by Yuval Noah Harari: 

(Click on each link for access to the videos) 

Nationalism vs. globalism: the new political divide.  

Why Fascism is so tempting -- and how your data could power it. 

These talks address the many layers of the way our lives are changing in this digital age. I'm curious now, so I want to read these books by Yaval Noah Harari:

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. 

These concepts are both fascinating and frightening; I think we all bear the responsibility of making sure digital technology does not become our demise.

                             

I'm convinced of the need for some regulations to be not just national but global in this digital age. How about you?

Note: This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and then make a purchase, I may receive a form of compensation. I only recommend products I believe in.