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WEB USERS could be forced to register with a website just to see its homepage, if the current draft of an EU regulation on online data is not changed before becoming law.
That’s according to a group of small and medium-sized Irish digital advertising firms, which says a new data protection regulation being put together in Brussels could make it virtually impossible to show content to casual users.
IAB Ireland, a trade association for the online advertisers, says the current draft of the laws would mean websites could only show content to users who explicitly approve the submission of some of their personal data.
It also extends the definition of ‘personal data’ to include non-personal details like an internet user’s IP address and the cookies stored by their browser.
IAB Ireland’s member firms say the rules could mean the end of an era where users can “serendipitously” discover new websites – as they would have to explicitly approve the submission of their personal data simply to see its homepage.
The group said it was important to realise that the laws would be coming in the form of a European regulation – meaning it would automatically become law in each EU member state, and was not subject to national amendment or discretion.
While this has advantages – making sure that online publishers only have to deal with one set of rules, instead of complying with dozens of separate legal systems – it also requires the unanimous approval of all EU member states, and the European Commission and Parliament, to be changed.
Once the laws were in, therefore, it was almost impossible for individual countries to engineer a change – meaning it was vital that the final regulation be workable and fully thought through.
Eamonn Fallon, chief executive of Distilled Media Group, said large parts of the web could “disappear behind login walls” if the regulation was not amended before being brought into law.
He added that users would also have to explicitly agree to send their IP address to different sites, whose content might all appear on one page.
So, for example, a website featuring ads controlled by Google would be asked whether they wanted to give Google their IP address, simply in exchange for allowing the ads to appear on the page. Similarly, Facebook users could be asked to explicitly send their IP address to Facebook just so a ‘Like’ button could appear.
Fallon said that if information like a user’s IP address was considered ‘personal’, “the only way companies like ours can legally run web analytics and third party adservers would be to force all our users to login.”
Digitize director John Patten added it would be “extremely difficult, if not impossible, to gather explicit consent on the websites on which ad networks, or site analytics companies, operate.”
This was because the companies delivering ads to users, or compiling readership figures on behalf of a web publisher, “do not have have a direct relationship with the users from whom they would need to obtain explicit consent.”
The group says the regulation’s whole purpose – to try and minimise the data that websites can collect about users – would be totally undermined if it forced websites to actively seek more information from users before allowing them to view content.
Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly, who attended an IAB media event this morning, is the European Parliament’s rapporteur on the data protection updates. Kelly says he has tabled a number of amendments to the draft regulations, to try and address the concerns of the SMEs.
“We are working hard at an EU level to ensure that the Regulation balances strong protection for consumer rights with the opportunity to facilitate SMEs in Ireland and across Europe to prosper in the digital economy,” he said.
Journal Media Ltd has shareholders – Brian and Eamonn Fallon – in common with Distilled Media Group.
Read: EU to raise concerns about US data surveillance in Dublin summit
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It’s sad when your GP asks you to make your own way to the Emergency Dept when you are seriously ill, as you would be too long waiting for an ambulance.
Recently I had to do that and when I was admitted to the ED there were at least four ambulance crews waiting to get their patients admitted and therefore could not go out on other calls. The system is buckled, not working and needs sorting out!!!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: If you were able to get to the GP, why weren’t you able to get to the hospital? You obviously weren’t suffering from a stroke / heart attack / cardiac arrest / multiple traumatic injuries that the ambulance service is usually busy taking care of.
@stephen deegan: Actually I was suffering from an advanced state of one of the above!
My GP asked my partner to drive me to the hospital as the ambulance would take too long, which she did!! We were there in 15 mins….. The Ambulance would have been a lot longer!!!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: So is there any difference in whether you went by ambulance or drove the 15 minutes to the hospital? You obviously were admitted before those people waiting in the ambulances outside. My point is that most people think that you will be seen faster if you go by ambulance, which is a myth. All patients are triaged the same way as if you walked in to the ED, with the exception of life-threatening emergencies like those I mentioned in my previous comment.Those people waiting in those ambulances which were being held up might have been able to make their own way to the ED, therefore releasing a vehicle for true emergencies. Our system is being abused because of this ‘seen sooner’ myth and that’s why ambulances are delayed on getting to the incidents that they’re supposed to.
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: I hope you’re recovered from your incident and are feeling better by the way.
@stephen deegan: I had a letter from my GP, which expedited mu triage, as I was a life threatening emergency. I was immediately admitted to the High Dependency Unit and ended up being hospitalised for a number of weeks. I am recovering at the moment, it’s a long process Stephen and I’m just glad to have come through it alive. Actually it was quite a frightening experience.
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: Get well soon.
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: It’s also a joke when a GP tells patients to go home, pack and bag, and call an Emergency Ambulance . Happens daily and much worse.
@stephen deegan: Will do Stephen, thank you for your wishes!!!
@Michael Cummins: I didn’t even get the opportunity to do that Michael. We were told to go immediately. Which we did!!
@Michael Cummins: Agreed. Some GPs and out of hours services are well able to abuse the system.
If they followed the UK system and sold off old fleet to private companies or volunteer groups or public at auction instead of destroying them in scrap yard they could recoupe some monies back . Shocking to see the graveyard of fleet in offaly
Just fire more money at it. It’s the health service, the management will know how to spend it in a efficient way, using best practice and get value for money.
Ah sure we can just increase the health budget even more……what would those inept turkeys running it like 30 billion maybe. Heres an idea why dont they they use the money from the sugar tax to help sort out the issues with the NAS. Oh wait silly me sure they have no clue where that money is in the health service black hole. And these are the same HSE with the nerve to ask for more taxes to be put on certain foods when the only unhealthy thing that needs checking round here is where the current 24 billion budget is being spent and how much of it is going on the wages of management and admin
My 78 year old mother fell and fractured her hip in 3 places, she also has dementia. She lives about 2 miles from the ambulance hub and 1 mile from the CUH (Cork’s main hospital) It took 4.5 hours for an ambulance to arrive. Obviously we would have brought her ourselves, but we didn’t want to move her just in case and she was also in awful pain. The service she got when they did arrive was outstanding and very caring but to wait that long given the circumstances was an absolute disgrace. The paramedic crews are amazing, but horribly understaffed. Thankfully my mother has made a full recovery from the fall.
A service life of five years Is that correct, then who gets it?
@Dan Murphy: Read the earlier comments and you’ll know!!
@Dan Murphy: they give them to the travellers of course
If the figures are correct, that equates to just 1.62 calls per day, per Ambulance… hardly heavy going…..
Spend some of the apple money we got, problem solved!
@AphroBeat:
Stop the waste would be more like it.
This going one way by design. Privatisation. We can look forward to a much reduced service in the future if that’s the case. Dfb is a really brilliant service as is NAS. I really hope I am wrong about the privatisation..
Was any benchmarking done against private ambulance’s level of service and efficiency?
@Pat Redmond: Two different services, Pat. Private ambulance services are staffed mostly by EMTs (6-8 weeks clinical training) and are used for low-acuity hospital to hospital transfers. NAS has a transfer service, (which is also available for emergencies) AND the primary emergency service which is crewed by paramedics (3 year degree) and advanced paramedics (3 year degree and 2 year masters). Benchmarking for education standards between public and private would be impossible.
That is incredible, Ollie, Left to rot, what sort of dopes would do that. They could easily get ten tears from them, and then give them to Poor countries, That’s disgraceful.
OUTSOURCE IT.
Sell bicycle shed.
It’s pretty clear that the current government-controlled ambulance system is not fit for purpose and the waiting times keep climbing every year. Along with the HSE as a whole, we need to privatise the ambulance system and introduce an Uber-style app system where hospitals complete with one another for the business of consumers who need to order an ambulance. This would also enable to view the routine of the ambulance in real time and judge which one they wish to book based on their current location. People would then be able to book and pay for whichever one meets their budget. If you want a basic ambulance like Uber Economy, you can book from the selection available and if you have more money, you should be able to book a more luxurious and premium one like Uber Comfort.
have your say