Week 3: Internet Law
This week I continued my dive into the world of Internet law. I spent much of my week researching EU Regulation 2016/679, better known as the GDPR, the EU's General Data Protection Regulation. Have you noticed lately that on every website you visit, a little pop-up comes up about cookies? You can thank the GDPR for that.
The GDPR seeks to protect users' personal data by holding data processors to higher standards. The regulation lays out strict guidelines that are at once both specific and vague. I spent much of my week reading law review articles and pieces of the regulation, just trying to get a grip on the policy.
The GDPR is important because IBJ, like many organizations, collects users' data. Through the use of IBJ's website, learning tools, and donation platforms, users share lots of data with the organization. My task for the week was to revise IBJ's current privacy policy to be GDPR compliant. After much research and policy reading, I came away with a draft that is awaiting review. Still, after speaking with a few more attorneys in my office, I already know some clauses will need to be changed. This is a project that will likely take a few weeks of drafting, revising, and redrafting, but I look forward to having a finished product that brings IBJ one step closer to being fully compliant.
The week was not all work and no play. Thursday was a national holiday in Switzerland, so I took advantage of the day off and made a long weekend of it. I spent five wonderful days in Italy, exploring Milan and Venice and hiking Lake Como. Italy has been a dream destination of mine since I was fourteen and first read Romeo and Juliet. Although I didn't make it to Verona, the Italian countryside and cities were everything I dreamed of and more.
This coming week, I look forward to doing more intellectual property work as I work to file some international trademark registrations for IBJ.