Orogogus wrote on Nov 27, 2014, 12:47:
Orwell was concerned about privacy from the government, which I don't think this affects. But if you're going to protect privacy, call it that. "Protecting" data by erasing it, obfuscating it and limiting access to it is classic doublespeak. Down the memory hole it goes.

Still curious, though -- are German companies operating overseas not bound by German laws? Is the general European attitude that companies who want to work in, say, China, should just set up a separate company, stepping outside their EU jurisdiction, and do things the PRC way? I mean, EU, whatever, but if Google set up a separate Chinese company and handed over everything the Communist government asked for they'd get tons of shit in the US.

Privacy is privacy ,)

Either way, it's a huge clusterfuck. But the simple principle applies. You do business in the EU, you follow EU laws, you don't follow EU laws, EU will fuck you over so badly you wish you did.

US law does not apply in the EU

And the EU is not like China. But if you want to do business in China you have no choice but to cooperate with a local Chinese company and thus you are bound to their laws. (There is no free market in China)