That is not the case. The "right to be forgotten" is not absolute. There are lawful bases for processing under which the right to be forgotten does not apply.

Go read GDPR article 17.3, it's easy to read. A few things for which the right to forgotten does not apply:

- exercising the right of freedom of expression and information

- for compliance with a legal obligation (e.g. keeping records for tax reporting)

- for public interest reasons related to health, science, historical research

Seriously, there is too much FUD about the GDPR.

Yes! The fud keeps increasing every time another gdpr related post pops up here.

I'm 60% sure it's people who read articles from Adtech Corporations about GDPR and not from people in the EU having to deal with it.

The only bad thing that I've noticed about GDPR is that some niche sites that rely on ad revenue are getting fucked over by Google (if you turn off personalized tracking for your visitors you still need the consent to track, there is no difference) so their income might break down.

That's quite sad but on the other hand they're exploring alternative methods of income and I'm certain adtech will adapt.

I doubt it's only that. I think it's also the tendency of people nowadays to only read titles and not to investigate further. I think some people are triggered by the phrase "right to be forgotten" and they jump to conclusions without finding out what it's really about.

The EU cookie law was almost the same issue, barely anyone implemented it and those who did did so poorly or incorrectly.

This time it bites back tho.

Thanks for the direction. I've read the GDPR a few times but it is (intentionally) non-specific on many implementation details. As I alluded to in comment, 17.3(a) seems like it would work as a global excemption in practice. I'm not familiar with how court rulings that provide legal precedent have impact or are respected across the diversity of legal systems across the EU. By May 25th 2020, after a multitude of GDPR related cases and verdicts, the answer may be more clearly defined. (Or increasingly nuanced with even greater uncertainty ;-)

GDPR also doesn't forbid individuals to do pretty much anything. Article 2c "This Regulation does not apply [...] for a natural person in the course of a purely personal or household activity;" - you can speak freely and disclose information you have observed/recorded, but the business you are running can not.