[willow9886]

GDPR actually applies to all EU citizen data, regardless of where the citizen resides.

"If your enterprise has a presence on the internet in the form of a website and if your enterprise collects personal data from customers regardless of where those customers are located, it is subject to the provisions of the GDPR." [1]

[1] https://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-eu-general-data-pro...

[neinzero]

So will users have to set a new site-wide "citizenship" setting on their profile?

Short of actually requiring you to upload your passport, how can Facebook make sure only European citizens get the added privacy?

Because I know, as a non-European, I want to get in on this action.

[cesarb]

> So will users have to set a new site-wide "citizenship" setting on their profile?

What about users who have two or more citizenships? What about users who have none? What about users who have citizenship only in countries the site doesn't recognize?

> Short of actually requiring you to upload your passport

Given that this is about the GDPR, wouldn't that only make things worse for the site? Edit: also, what about people who have neither a passport nor an identity card?

[BeeOnRope]

> What about users who have two or more citizenships?

As long as one of them is in the EU, the GDPR would presumably apply. Generally you get all the rights (and responsibilities) of all your citizenships should you have multiple. Even without multiple citizenships this often arises since you have have rights as a resident in one country, while having a single citizenship in another country.

> What about users who have none?

The GDPR would not apply.

> ... what about people who have neither a passport nor an identity card?

The easy out would be to allow the GDPR benefits to anyone who claimed to be from the EU, without requiring them to prove it. This would be compatible with the GDPR, although it might allow some "leakage" (from Facebook's perspective) in that people outside of the EU might fraudulently claim the GDPR benefits.

[mantas]

> also, what about people who have neither a passport nor an identity card?

Not possible. Can't say 100% about all countries, but in my country it's a must to have either passport or ID once you hit 16. There's even a small fine if you don't take out or renew personal document on time.

US and their passport-less life looks very strange from Europe. You can't do anything without ID in EU. No bank account, no employment, no driving license and the list couldgo on and on.

[mziel]

That's not true in the UK, there's no ID card here. IMO it's quite a nuisance, for example you need to always bring 2 documents to verify your identity and address for a variety of situations (opening a bank account, even opening a new savings account at the SAME bank, renting a new place, new job, mortgage, requesting information from the government).

[guitarbill]

Don't get me started on the UK and the ID card. It's stupidity at the highest level. There is a de-facto "ID", your national insurance number (like a social security number). Except it has no ID features, and cannot be changed. So much, much worse than an ID card. As far as practical ID for bars/clubs, people usually just use a driving license, or are forced to use a passport. Complete idiocy.

(However to get back onto topic, most people in the UK will have a passport, otherwise they should have a NINo allocated at birth. For the people who have neither, the GDPR is the least of their worries.)

[mantas]

Fun fact, in Lithuania people are allocated personal number (similar to NINo?) on birth. ID and/or passport is mandatory regardless.

However, personal number is not guaranteed to be unique because of how it's issued. We have funny stories once in a while when people with similar (or even identical) names happen to have same personal number. A photocopy of ID in important governmental or banking actions.

[rjsw]

... and a surprising number of official documents have errors in them, minor address or name misspellings, that make them invalid for this purpose.

[drdrey]

Is it really possible to have none?

[ornitorrincos]

yes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statelessness

[FridgeSeal]

Same here: I'd already made the decision that I want to move to an EU country, GDPR just makes me want to accelerate that so I can get in on the action sooner. It's not the only, or the biggest reason of course, but it's a nice benefit.

[crankylinuxuser]

If there has to be a new citizenship profile setting will the following be acknowledged? Taiwan and Palestine both have heavily contested status by the nation states that refuse them.

[dannyw]

The specifics is an implementation detail, but as an european citizen (residing anywhere) you have rights under the GDPR and should assert those rights.

[ams6110]

Enforced by who? Fines collected by who?

What happens if a site operator in Iowa just ignores it.

[icedchai]

I'll tell you what happens: nothing.

Okay, they might get a letter or two that they place in the circular file.

[icebraining]

It should be noted that merely being accessible in the EU doesn't automatically make the GDPR apply to a site, although the line is not sharply delineated.

https://gdpr-info.eu/recitals/no-23/

[flukus]

> What happens if a site operator in Iowa just ignores it.

Other European businesses, will be banned from doing business with them. For facebook they can stop them buying advertising space, for others they might issue orders to block payments to them. Some small players in Iowa may still get away from things but no one notable will.