[pembrook]

Last I heard Instapaper has 3 employees.

Some smaller companies and lower-profile groups within big companies are going to need more time to sort this out, and some may decide it's not worth the risk of the massive fines no matter how compliant they think they are and will block European users. Nobody knows how aggressive regulators will be in enforcing this so far, nor is their any precedent for how the law will be interpreted by actual courts. Calling people incompetent isn't going to change that.

This is one of the negative consequences of enacting complex regulation targeted mostly at giants like Facebook and Google and then applying it to every side project and business in the entire world no matter how big or small. Sorry.

[jacquesm]

Nonsense. Instapaper was acquired by Pinterest.

[pembrook]

And how much revenue does the Instapaper service generate for Pinterest?

Lower profile groups within big companies are probably most likely to shut off their services to European users because they have the cautious legal departments of the large company without the important profit center designation which would make compliance a priority.

[jacquesm]

> And how much revenue does the Instapaper service generate for Pinterest?

Who cares? That's not a factor in whether or not you should comply with the law.

> Lower profile groups within big companies are probably most likely to shut off their services to European users because they have the cautious legal departments of the large company without the important profit center designation which would make compliance a priority.

Well, that may be their strategy but it won't work because it is the company that is violating the law, not the lower profile group.

[LoSboccacc]

> That's not a factor in whether or not you should comply with the law.

speaking generally here, you know laws aren't always right? we had plenty bad laws to draw from to challenge this particular point, from racial to abortion laws.

gdpr isn't as draconian as these but still has plenty trash in it between the vague wording, the moving target 'state of the art' represents and the weird requirements and absurd implications of the 'right to be forgotten'.

[jacquesm]

What's that got to do with it?

It's the law, it was created by a democratically elected body. Racial and abortion laws are on a different plane altogether, and are not typically the playground of globally acting corporations.

[Kiro]

> it is the company that is violating the law, not the lower profile group.

I work in a company that was acquired and we're still our own legal entity. Would our owner be affected if we violate GDPR?

[jimnotgym]

That would depend on what kind of ownership structure you have. Do they exercise management control, have seats on the board etc?

[jacquesm]

No, in that case the owner is just a shareholder. But if the original legal entity no longer exists (which I believe is the case with Instapaper) then it doesn't matter that you've been acquired, you are now part of the mothership.

[ryanwaggoner]

But if the original legal entity no longer exists (which I believe is the case with Instapaper)

Unlikely. "Instapaper Holdings, Inc." is right in their footer.

[zitterbewegung]

So a LLC with owned by a larger company would that allow for the owner to be a shareholder ?