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GDPR privacy law is inspiring some epic Twitter memes

You can count on Twitter users to make light of just about anything.

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Abrar Al-Heeti
abrar-al-heeti2
Abrar Al-Heeti Video producer / CNET
Abrar Al-Heeti is a video host and producer for CNET, with an interest in internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. Before joining the video team, she was a writer for CNET's culture team. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET breaking down the latest trends on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram, while also reporting on diversity and inclusion initiatives in Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Credentials Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has twice been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
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2 min read
GDPR

That flood of emails can be daunting.

 @associatesmind

The European Union's General Protection Privacy Regulation, which raises the standards and stakes of personal data privacy, centers on a pretty serious topic. But that hasn't stopped the internet from finding a way to poke fun at the mouthful that's been flooding your inbox with alerts.

The GDPR applies to companies that collect, store, process or manage the data of European citizens, which means that companies with a digital presence in the EU have to comply with the law or face huge penalties.  

But the law's global impact also means more people are chiming in to complain about -- or poke fun at -- all the privacy policies updates they've been bombarded with.

For starters, there's this classic play on the Star Wars opening credits from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson.

One Twitter user imagined what social media sites will look like now that the change is in place.

And we've all seen those obvious scam messages from someone claiming to be royalty. One Twitter user quipped that they, too, were adhering to the new privacy law.

But perhaps not everyone is on board with GDPR. A parody NSA public relations account tweeted that it isn't quite ready to join in.

One Twitter user poked fun at how extensive the updates on GDPR are.

There've been other tweets along the same thread, which mention opening things like fridges, yogurt and bottles, only to find more notices about privacy policies.

As bigger tech companies continue to notify users that they're complying with the law, going through your inbox this week could be pretty time consuming. One Twitter user joked he might not have time for anything else.

But does the benefit outweigh the cost? One user isn't so sure.

Some people almost feel like they're being (metaphorically) attacked.

After all, it can be pretty hard to ignore all the incoming emails on GDPR.

Still, the privacy law could even protect you when you're offline, one Twitter user quips.

Alas, there may be no escape.

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