> As if GDPR wasn't enough.

GDPR was so completely inconsequential for EU start up. We have to stop with this constant EU bashing. You know what EU-based start-up do to comply with GDPR ? They don't. Most of them copy paste a generic GDPR legal statement and name the CTO/CEO the DPO. And if they receive a GDPR request (it almost never happen), they just handle it manually.

Now, when you get big enough (or if you start to do really obvious egregious thing with data collection/processing) you might attract the eye of your local data protection agency. And if you really do naughty things they might, gasp, send you a letter and ask you to comply. Only repeated offender and company who really didn't care about even the most basic principle of the law end up being fined. And in most case, the fines are weeeell within reason. Or, as we say, "the cost of doing business".

The only actor who were somewhat annoyed by the GDPR were huge data hoarder.

Basically what you're arguing is that EU start-ups shouldn't care about the law.

I am not arguing about anything. I am stating facts. Have you worked for any EU start-ups ? Plus, if you worked long enough, you should know by now that most company take a "try it, and change it if we are asked to" about a lot of laws. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

Right. It is not like the world needs more startups with software full of holes.

The intentions are good, just like GDPR, it's the implementation that sucks.

Frankly, I don't know what to say. If it is "the implementation that sucks", the implication probably is that everyone in this forum sucks.

Maybe, but probably no one in this forum is enacting laws.

Shocking that this kind of knee-jerk anti-innovation sentiment seems to be the dominant mood on Hacker News these days. Whatever legitimate criticisms of SV startups there are, this is mere contentless anti-tech sniping.

Plenty of frustrated and sour people post-covid out there.

So you think improving security is about a "knee-jerk anti-innovation sentiment"?

To better understand why these regulations are pushed forward throughout the world, read for instance Huston's elegant piece:

https://www.potaroo.net/ispcol/2021-02/iot.html