GDPR – General Data Protection Regulations

As a “consumer” my email inbox has been full of vaguely remembered companies telling me that I should reply so we can keep in touch – that GDPR means I need to proactively say “Yes please – keep sending me marketing emails”.  Others simple tell me their privacy and data policies have been updated and can be read “here” (link in bold).

As an “employee” there are many anecdotal “would you believe it” stories … The most junior member of staff sent to a (paid for) “GDPR training course” (it is alway the least senior employee) – of them coming back and imposing (with the company’s authority) GDPR compliant “documentary identity checks” on all employees – no matter how long each has been with the company (some for twenty years) – all because “that’s what they told us on the course”.

Compliance was a word I recall infiltrating the world of work many years ago.  A word never used or heard before.  Good salaries were offered.  Departments were created.  Careers were forged.  Associations for complicit compliance managers were born.  Compliance became an industry.

There are rumours that Facebook moved millions of personal accounts out of European jurisdiction prior to GDPR becoming law yesterday (25th May 2018).  Except GDPR (now law) says that non-European companies working in Europe with European customers are not exempt.

I am confident all of that activity is advised by (and challenged by) the compliance industry.

Another rumour is that as the PPI – Payment Protection Insurance mis-selling claims and compensation industry peters out next year, GDPR non-compliance claims and compensation will be the next “big thing”.

And I find that rumour entirely plausible.

The big thing in churches is “safeguarding” – or the response to historical abuses by (a very small minority of) the clergy of their flocks – and the cover up by (another small minority?) of the ruling clerical hierarchy.  Safeguarding is compliance by another name.  Just as PPI mis-selling claims is compliance by another name.

Compliance is big business and comes with hefty compensation for the consumer (with a nice cut for the company achieving the compensation).

Hence the rumours of those claims companies now focusing on GDPR with the impending deadline for new PPI claims.

There are ten commandments.  And another 600 thrown in for good measure.  Which makes for compliance even in biblical times.  The whole sacrifice industry was about making money out of compliance.  The whole religious thing was about compliance. because Good Chosen People were compliant – just as Unclean People were also compliant with those same 600+ laws – compliance is not just about being “compliant with” – it is also about being “not being compliant with”.  Religious compliance and laws and rules make clear who is in and who is out.  In was Chosen and out was not.

And then Jesus.

The health and safety industry AND the compliance industry would have had a field day with Jesus (and perhaps did in the end).  All that healing without any hygiene policies in place, no risk assessment, no safeguarding polices to be found, no contracts of employment, no legal protection for employees disciples followers believers Christians at all.  Jesus simply came to fulfill the law and it wasn’t enough.

And – ever since – the church has been revising and evolving evermore “compliance” to know that compliance with that “fulfillment” is being “complied with”.

What did Jesus mean: “fulfill the law”?

I think he meant the law is like a starter motor.  It gets the engine going.  But once the engine is running – the law starter motor burns out if the engine is left running too long.  The engine grace compassion and love are what the law starter motor is for.  And if we can only see the law starter motor and not the engine  grace compassion and love … then there is no reason or purpose for the law starter motor at all.  Keeping the law starter motor switched on just burns everything out.

And that is not compliance what Jesus is all about.  Which is why I remain sure that “unconditional love” is the big thing. 

And why I am confused when love seemingly requires “compliance” to a whole new bunch of “laws” for many naming themselves employees disciples followers believers Christians

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