The Problems Created by the EU

Everyone is trying so hard to get some Protection statement out there for the European Union’s grab for more bucks with their GDPR Program. The EU is stating this new GDPR is in line with the United Nations’ Human Rights Policy. Ho-Hum. You could also say: Phooey. Anyway, if you are an American Business who does selling Online, this demand to comply with the EU’s GDPR should make you very angry.

This really does not involve American Interests or American Business, or American Small Online Businesses. This is Europe’s problem and it has been their problem all along. And the European Union stands to gain more control over Europe’s Businesses and gain a measure of control over U.S. Businesses (if they want to market to European Customers). Its all about Control, a simple power play by the European Union. Britexit is the EU’s excuse for this power grab. The European Union feels the pinch from other European countries or groups considering an exit from the EU economic policies. And it scares them out of their shorts.

Unfortunately, the explanations for compliance with this GDPR confuses many corporations, let alone small American online business owners. Just remember, its much ado about nothing. If you aren’t marketing direct to Europe for European Customers, or European Business, there is not much for you to worry about. If some Frenchman should ‘create a Personal Account” through your shopping cart, fine. If he contacts you down the road and wants you to delete that personal Account, then be nice and do so. That’s not hard is it.

But you can’t delete the order or the order’s standard information. That you have to keep.

Yet, there are two huge reasons here for this European Union power grab. Any small Business in America knows how hard it is to set Credit Card Acceptance “Filters” with their Payment Gateway” for European Credit Cards. With American Banks, American Customers, American Card Holders, it’s easy to set certain “filters” to accept or deny a Credit Card. With European Banks and European Card Holders – not so easy, almost impossible if you want to let them buy something.

• (1) You see, the first problem is European Banks refuse to identify and cross-reference European Card Addresses with European postal codes, or even names.

This systemic problem is not that European Banks “can’t” comply. It’s because European Banks “refuse” to comply with the American Banking System and the Credit Card Acceptance Standards set by the American Payment Gateways. So now the EU is hot to get this grand hoopla going called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Its supposed to allow European’s a chance to protect their private information. As if its not already stored on the Web by other entities.

• (2) Zeus.

The Mad Russian Europe and the U.S. want Russia to extradite for prosecution called himself "Zeus".  His real name is still a huge mystery.  The Man known as Zeus developed some pretty high-tech hacking ware that could make 100 to 1000 Personal PC’s and Apple Computers work together in the dead of night with the power of a dedicated Super-Cray Computer. He could hack into high profile Bank Accounts and have lots of money easily transferred to some strange offshore or Mediterranean Bank under an alias. It made him rich beyond understand. U.S. Banks went after “Zeus”, tracking every card and shopping cart online system and deep searching for Zeus’ hidden tracks.  They think Zeus is retired now, maybe.  And selling off his Hacking-ware to the highest bidders.

The issues caused by “Zeus”, created a program in the U.S. called “PCI Compliancy”. PCI Compliancy is used by any American Online Business to undergo a program to prove their computer and system for accepting Credit Cards and Customer Information is standard within the industry and secure both online and in shopping carts, and in all forms of storage utilized by the American Business. European Online business or Shopping is not United States PCI Compliant. Oops.

Bottom Line for American Online Businesses is they need to be PCI Complaint and work within a PCI Compliant Merchant and Payment Gateway, such as Elavon or Authorize.Net. If they are PCI Compliant, the EU’s GDPR means very little to small business owners. Remember, its Europe’s problem, not American Small Business. If you don’t target European’s for sales, it’s not a worry. Just remember that is someone does create an account with you, and they ask for it to be deletes, accommodate them and delete the information. Your business has not lost a thing.