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Privacy 3 min read · (Updated March 12, 2026) · by LimeVPN

How has GDPR affected the Internet?

How has GDPR affected the Internet?

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Contents

The effect of GDPR in Europe and how to tackle it.

The introduction of The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR has caused a stir among many website owners. It's mandatory for all European based website and businesses who deal in Europe to comply with the GDPR rules else they will have to pay the fine. The non-compliance fine can be of 20 million Euros or 4% of the annual turnover. Scared of the non-compliance fine, many online services decide to shut down their services in Europe. Numerous prestigious services like the Instapaper, unroll.me and LA times have started blocking all EU users to access their websites. As per the report by Limeproxy VPN Service, it has been coming to notice that, GDPR has also affected many online game websites and favourite podcasts as well.

Whats its all about?

GDPR comprises a set of new rules regarding the collection and usage of customer’s data. These new rules draw a line regarding which data to collect and what to use. As per the law, the website will have to inform the users about the data they are receiving. While the rules lie within the EU but companies which have kept data of EU citizens must also comply with the GDPR. To tackle the situation, many organisations have already started to revise their privacy policies and terms of services.

The Immediate Effects of GDPR

Soon after the launch of GDPR, the internet has gone chaotic. These rules come entirely a shock for many websites which was not prepared until things go haywire. Instapaper has asked some more time from the European citizens as they are busy drafting new rules. Unroll.me, on the other hand, have made it clear that they are stopping their services for all EU Users. As of now, most websites have blocked their services on a temporary basis and promised to resume them as soon as they update their policies as per the GDPR. However, companies like WaprPortal has blocked all EU Users along with closing down all European Servers. Being a more prominent player in Online Roleplaying Game, WaprPortal’s exit from Europe is a significant turning point in Internet World. While all the Users of European Countries are sad about WarpPortal, Countries like the Russian Federation and The CIS countries are left unaffected. Even though WarpPortal has promised for a full refund to all EU Users, stills, the mental devastation felt by Gamers are incomprehensible.

VPN Service to access all blocked websites

Now The websites block a European Visitor through the IP address, used by him/her. Any Non-Eu Users can access those websites as their IP shows a location outside EU. If you are missing your favourite sites and want to reaccess them, then use a GDPR Compliant VPN Service like LimeProxy VPN service. All you have to do is connect to a secured VPN and change your IP to a different country. It's as easy as it Sounds. While good news among the chaos is that, most blocked Websites will be back in running after they get themselves updated as per the GDPR Compliance. However, there are more to it than that. Upgrading to GPDR compliance requires a lot of technical support and monetary resources as well. Goliath Organization such as Facebook, Twitter etc. will not get much affected by it but what about those small organisations? How they are going to resurface. Even Though most of the favourite website will be back, but EU users will still have to say goodbye to many other websites.  

Chaos at ICO

Since the arrival of GDPR, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has been facing an immense level of email floods in their system. Looking at the nature of the situation, Steve Wood, The deputy Information Commissioner decide to post a statement on the organisation’s Website. In his official statement, Mr Steve Wood addresses some myths which were flying around and further intensified the EU Users.  He confirms that one doesn’t need to ask for fresh consent once again, provided the User has already taken approval. He further added that Even though after the implementation of GDPR, one can still send their newsletter to anyone without facing any technical issue.

Conclusion

As of now, all you can do is sit tight and wait for the services to resume. However, if you want to access your favourite website then use a VPN and unblock all sites without worrying about GDPR. Now, the problem is that some website might, but some will be gone forever. As an Internet User, if you believe in unrestricted access for everyone, then get a VPN service today.  

About the Author

LimeVPN

LimeVPN is a privacy and security researcher at LimeVPN, covering VPN technology, online anonymity, and digital rights. Passionate about making privacy accessible to everyone.

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