As I really don't expect a suitable (relatively) concise definition to be posted on here any time soon...... here's a quick one
(..and yes Ii's about OUR rights; Who knew ?):

GDPR stands for the General Data Protection Regulation.

This regulation has been implemented in all local privacy laws across the entire EU and EEA region. It will apply to all companies selling to and storing personal information about citizens in Europe, including companies on other continents.

What GDPR means is that citizens of the EU and EEA now have greater control over their personal data and assurances that their information is being securely protected across Europe.

According to the GDPR directive, personal data is any information related to a person such as a name, a photo, an email address, bank details, updates on social networking websites, location details, medical information, or a computer IP address.

The 8 basic rights of GDPR
Under the GDPR, individuals have:

The right to access –this means that individuals have the right to request access to their personal data and to ask how their data is used by the company after it has been gathered. The company must provide a copy of the personal data, free of charge and in electronic format if requested.
The right to be forgotten – if consumers are no longer customers, or if they withdraw their consent from a company to use their personal data, then they have the right to have their data deleted.
The right to data portability – Individuals have a right to transfer their data from one service provider to another. And it must happen in a commonly used and machine readable format.
The right to be informed – this covers any gathering of data by companies, and individuals must be informed before data is gathered. Consumers have to opt in for their data to be gathered, and consent must be freely given rather than implied.
The right to have information corrected – this ensures that individuals can have their data updated if it is out of date or incomplete or incorrect.
The right to restrict processing – Individuals can request that their data is not used for processing. Their record can remain in place, but not be used.
The right to object – this includes the right of individuals to stop the processing of their data for direct marketing. There are no exemptions to this rule, and any processing must stop as soon as the request is received. In addition, this right must be made clear to individuals at the very start of any communication.

The right to be notified – If there has been a data breach which compromises an individual’s personal data, the individual has a right to be informed within 72 hours of first having become aware of the breach.

The GDPR is the EU’s way of giving individuals, prospects, customers, contractors and employees more power over their data and less power to the organizations that collect and use such data for monetary gain.

The business implications of GDPR

This new data protection regulation puts the consumer in the driver’s seat, and the task of complying with this regulation falls upon businesses and organizations. Otherwise, you’re failing to comply.

What falls under GDPR compliance?

Well, GDPR applies to all businesses and organizations established in the EU, regardless of whether the data processing takes place in the EU or not. Even non-EU established organizations will be subject to GDPR. If your business offers goods and/ or services to citizens in the EU, then it’s subject to GDPR.

All organizations and companies that work with personal data should appoint a data protection officer or data controller who is in charge of GDPR compliance.

There are tough penalties for those companies and organizations who don’t comply with GDPR fines of up to 4% of annual global revenue or 20 million Euros, whichever is greater.

Many people might think that the GDPR is just an IT issue, but that is the furthest from the truth. It has broad-sweeping implications for the whole company, including the way companies handle marketing and sales activities.

The impact of GDPR on customer engagement

The conditions for obtaining consent are stricter under GDPR requirements as the individual must have the right to withdraw consent at any time and there is a presumption that consent will not be valid unless separate consents are obtained for different processing activities.

This means you have to be able to prove that the individual agreed to a certain action, to receive a newsletter for instance. It is not allowed to assume or add a disclaimer, and providing an opt-out option is not enough.

I'm not being deliberately facetious or trying to wind you up.. but on a friendly forum like this it should be OK to include a bit of humour?

Seems most or all of what you just said refers to individuals (people)... Doesn't this debate all boil down to whether people are being identified by BT? It doesn't seem you'd have a strong enough case that people are being identified by BT.

Along the lines of the Sweeney example much more fault would be attributed to who pulled a knife or shooter rather than who was in the right or wrong over parking privileges, couldn't directly blame the hotspot for causing a dispute over parking privileges, the hotpsot map doesn't even say there's anywhere to park. If the property owner was in the right they could have reported the van to police (granted they wouldn't turn up!).. To what extent could the hotspot or vague map of hotspot locations be blamed for inciting a dispute and/or violence? There are vaguely similar low tech situations... e.g. Man Utd play Millwall, both teams like their fans to buy and wear kit (which might identify which end of the country they come from, at least identifies which team they support) and like away fans to buy tickets for their grounds but is this really the route cause of punch ups between fans or is it stupid fans that want trouble that are the problem? Should fans only wear identifying kit if they somehow opted in or is it obvious they're going to provide others with some vague info about themselves just by buying/wearing the kit and have opted in to that by default by buying/wearing kit? Millwall / Man Utd fans could opt out of identifying themselves at any time by just not wearing the kit but they did choose to buy the kit in the first place and why else would they buy a kit if they're not going to wear it... Why buy from an ISP that by default allows you to use other hotspots - obviously at other customers addresses (or where might we expect them to be) so pretty obvious that your address will be a hotspot - if you don't like that? Note to self.. 1/10 for clarity, analogy and the example Simon lol.

If you noticed to begin with Lpgc it was quite light-heated, but (certain) folks here could not be bothered to google “Personal Data GDPR” and see for themselves but resorted quickly instead to ‘unpleasantries’, many rather patronising; Your own Courtroom Joke Scenario led to me be given ‘free legal advice’ telling me “not to sue BT”, followed by my own jokes (including ‘FleecemAndLeggit’ giving advice that may mean someone needs to 'tread carefully’ (smiley face) earning me an unprecedented accusation of 'Foolish Online Threats'; Jesus, talk about 'missing the point' !

Don’t know if you recall but when the van man was very irritated I had photographed him (blocking the drives) he called the police to complain about me (!); SWMBO was present or who knows, it may have 'gone nasty' right there; His sense of entitlement at using MY Hub with impunity was palpable….. Perhaps I should sue BT for Punitive Damages ?

In fact I deal with the local Boys in Blue on a regular basis so them then showing up would have been’ interesting’: Last week I presented the techniques used by thieves for Relay/Contactless Car entry/stealing purposes as residents had asked them for advice about using Freezers and Microwaves to store their car keys (long story... used this as a 'backdrop': https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-6631925/Vehicle-thefts-risen-50-5-years-Home-Office-figures-show.html ... and I swear that some of the residents present thought a Faraday Cage was a cage you keep a faraday in... but I digress....)

Anyway in part due this blog I explained about the BT/FON problems too; The Police seem to think that may help to explain why kids have been hanging around all over the Borough (doing anti-social things) in places they did not used to frequent before; They are going to compare this to the BT HotSpots Map: I probably should have mentioned all this to them sooner and may add this (if proven) to my ICO complaint too…

I am not sure who is to blame for the worsening many of Society's behavioural ills but I only know we may be too late:as Big Business is only really interested in profits, regardless of the costs to our liberties and welfare... but more pressure is needed on the SN perpetrators for sure ...
Sounds like there are plans afoot to 'Police' (ie regulate) some of these Digital Gangsters now too...!

This situation probably helps put things in context lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STIvNjWobzA

Not down to me to be a middleman in any argument here and I'm not going to re-read where argument may have got a bit heated or try to explain away what was said or how I interpreted it at the time.. but if people are interested in debate it would be a good idea to let any (perhaps inevitable) heated bits be bygones and others might chime in again. I've met some of the people on thread, all very reasonable, clever and I have no doubt very good at their jobs.

I'll leave it a bit before I come out with any more daft analogies / examples... but for what other reason might I possibly want a Faraday cage?

Lpgc wrote:

but for what other reason might I possibly want a Faraday cage?

You can sit in it when you think your enemies have found a way to penetrate the protection ofyour tin foil hat :P

Would have to penetrate my tin foil hat then thick skin, especially that at the back of my neck :P Who's after my neck now anyway lol ;-)

Best not open a thread on Brexit eh. Leave that to the Pistonheads lot lol.

Thanks for the YT comment Lpgc: Yes, such folks can get irritated for (almost) nothing: But how did you know I was a Scouser with a 'tash ??
What's 'Brexit' ? It sounds like it might be the sound of someone throwing up their breakfast/////

Tin Hat ? In fact after my 'RF Seminar' one of my neighbours has actually decided to wallpaper his front hall wall with aluminium foil.....

Back on WiFi from some 'insider data;' now it looks like about 3m 'Customers' were AUTOMATICALLY 'Opted In' to BT FON (as the Hubs used are sent out to them with it already enabled); Don't know why they did not just include 'FREE WIFI' stickers for folks to put in their windows too: This part they are not so sure of (and it seems quite low) but apparently less than 10% actually use it for WiFi roaming (?) http://goo.gl/GIPTY

davew wrote:

But how did you know I was a Scouser with a 'tash ??

Maybe I didn't... Or maybe I searched for davew on BT's website and a detailed profile with address etc came up lol ;-)

Excellent - I knew it ! (pretty sure BT will have a more-detailed profile on me soon anyway...)

Here's another one that amused me: The neighbour who wants to put a Farady Screen on his hall wall popped by to show me what he bought to do this - and it was a kind of Mylar (reflective-plastic) product on a roll... I explained it might keep some heat in but would not keep the Hackers out !

Just realised this has been read >8K times (?)

Pertinent/Related developments re pseudo-anonymised data

"With the first large fines for breaching EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulations upon us, and the UK government about to review GDPR guidelines, researchers have shown how even anonymised datasets can be traced back to individuals using machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence.

The researchers say their paper, published in Nature Communications, demonstrates that allowing data to be used - to train AI algorithms, for example - while preserving people’s privacy, requires much more than simply adding noise, sampling datasets, and other de-identification techniques.

They have also published a demonstration tool that allows people to understand just how likely they are to be traced, even if the dataset they are in is anonymised and just a small fraction of it shared.

The researchers say their findings should be a wake-up call for policymakers on tightening the rules for what constitutes truly anonymous data."

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-10933-3

I've seen that film Enemy Of The State...Never look up - satellites with face recognition are looking down ;-)

Hmmm, Ok Lgpc, I had better move then ! https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/14/us/facial-recognition-ban-san-francisco.html

To avoid being recognised by satellites I always wear a balaclava hood. It has, so far, prevented my being picked up by MI5, or MI6, but local shopkeepers seem to have a problem when I stroll in with a brown paper bag in my hand, looking for cigarettes. I don't understand their reaction as I know that I am doing nothing wrong.

I havd a couple of newer cars that used keyless entry but in both my support for global warming, and helping the used car marketeers I got rid of them and bought a couple of older cars. I have a 2001 P38 and a 1983 Mercedes 500se, and th great thing is that I now use the old fashioned anti-theft devices. I have a couple of old, original steering locks/clamps which you lock onto the steering wheel. It is obvious, solid, and most of the current bunch of scumbags don't want the hassle of trying to get the lock off the steering wheel. They would sooner go elsewhere.

Both cars have car alarms but even on the P38 the steering wheel lock/clamp provides a fairly obvious deterrent. I suppose that, if I do have a problem, then I will also go back to using the wheel clamp, of which I have two, in my garage. I used to use them many years ago to secure a couple of Ford RS 1800's and I never had a single attempt of theft. They may need a bit of fettling to make them fit an 18 inch rim though, as they were made to fit an 8x13 Form rim !!

Back to the non-high tech devices, I think - except for the flat screen telly.

Pierre3.

I'm sweating now, just found this image online..

It's only a bloody satellite pic of where I am so it seems MI5 are monitoring me too, for what reason I don't know. Think I'd better move to San Francisco too! But I can't quite remember the rest of the advice.. If you're going to San Francisco be sure to wear (what was it?), jeans maybe, probably something to help blend in with the general population lol. And I'll need a RangeRover to use as a post apocalypse vehicle.

Hey! Nice photo..........
So YOU are the vending solutions mob?! I knew it! (kidding)
San Francisco?? Again, you are in luck!
Seems I will be selling my Borrego soon, and I happen to be just up the hill from San Fran!
A bright yellow P-38 is virtually Zombie proof! (Well known fact: Zombies are allergic to Yellow)
When the apocalypse hits, you will be ready!
Oh, and it used to be "Flowers in your hair", but now it's "Flack jacket and Kevlar underwear"

I went to school with the vending machine guy, year younger than me, I think he thought vending machines would be an easy life / money lol.
You've been around a bit Bolt... maybe it's you being chased by an agency bringing this surveillance upon us ;-)

Did you swap from BT to another ISP Davew / still with BT and still providing free internet for passers-by / still with BT but found some way of turning off internet for passers-by?

Did you get BT to make changes to their hotspot system? If so did it involve taking legal action?

Yes Lpgc, it certainly took some time but BT now have WiFi "HotSpot" maps with "less specific detail" on them...
ie. the type of detail that could 'certainly help reveal/identify individual/personal locations etc...QED

eg. http://home.bt.com/images/bt-wifi-map-136420484300502601

Now: https://www.btwifi.com/find/

Note they also moved from 'StreetView' to 'Geome' to facilitate this too
(and with limited 'zoom' now. which was my main point of course....)

PS: Why does this thread have 22K readings ??
I suspect BT et al have used it for GDPR training purposes.....
for "How NOT to breach the rules" courses maybe !