zlacker

Related to this, there is a difference in culture that may had add to the fear for people running SMEs outside of Europe. I am talking about a difference in the culture of fines, at least at the local level of government based on my personal experience. When I lived in Canada (and the US briefly) it was common for me to get fined for various trivial offences. I used to joke I should have a fine budget, or at least fine schedule for attending court. The local authorities set speed traps, fine for crossing the road at the wrong place, not shoveling snow quickly etc. My parents in-law and everyone on their whole street got fined for parking their cars on the street by a by-law officer instead of their driveways when the houses were new builds still getting constructed and new drive ways were clearly in the process of being constructed and could not be entered. There was someone in the news who got arrested for not mowing their lawn. I'm not making this up, just do a search, in fact it seems dozens of people have been sent to jail for not paying fines for not keeping up with landscaping in the US. Now since being back in the UK for six years I've not received a single fine, had any interaction with the police or courts. There is a big difference in how fines are applied in Europe and I agree with your comment that I do trust the EU more in this regard, based on the way they operate historically.

>>ajeet_+(OP)
This is true, I have never received a fine -- and furthermore, I personally don't even know anyone who has received a fine! Could of course be that some did and kept it to themselves.

>>ajeet_+(OP)
> Now since being back in the UK for six years I've not received a single fine, had any interaction with the police or courts.

I'm 26, have always been Canadian and I never seen what you talk about there. It's disturbing that you had this experience.

The only fine I ever heard someone get where relative to the road and were mostly parking and speed tickets. Even then, I also don't know anyone that doesn't drive 120 kph on a 100 kph road and about the parking, the signs are pretty self explanatory (though they can become pretty complicated where there's more than one).

If you consider that you follow what any signs, well that would means you shouldn't get any of theses fines. Theses fines are also defined and you know what you risk if you don't follow the signs.

Now say the same about GDPR... pretty harder I would say.

People drive at 120 on a 100 road and that's alright even though cars kills thousand each year, much more than keeping your shipping information in a database, yet you risk a much bigger fine for keeping that information without following the "signs".

>>dwild+Th
Yes, literally nobody has die for misuse of privacy data, and now you can go to jail over it.

>>ajeet_+(OP)
I think UK is a special case here. In other EU countries it is not uncommon for corrupt civil servants to drown companies in fines to the point of bankruptcy.