Sit back, relax, and let GDPR legislation lull you into a peaceful slumber
Drifting off to the land of nod is hard in this day and age, especially when we're not entirely sure what companies are doing with our personal data.
But, GDPR—a.k.a. Europe's new General Data Protection Regulation—might offer up a little peace of mind for those of us residing in the European Union. Not only that, GDPR legislation literally doubles up as a bedtime story, thanks to a meditation and sleep app.
I mean, we all knew that legislation was a little dull, right? But who knew it could be literally soporific, eh?
Sleep and meditation app Calm is releasing an audio recording of extracts of GDPR legislation being read by the former voice of the BBC shipping forecast Peter Jefferson. Jefferson will read "the most soothing passages" from the 209-page regulation.
The bedtime story—called "Once upon a GDPR"—is designed to be the "antidote to GDPR stress." So says the app's co-founder Michael Acton Smith. "So many people and businesses are stressing over complying with GDPR," says Acton Smith, co-founder of Calm.
GDPR legislation—which in its entirety stacks up to 57,509 words—comes in to effect on 25 May.
Calm wants people suffering from sleep issues and insomnia to let the the new legislation help lull you into a sleepy stupor.
"Insomnia is a modern epidemic," says Alex Tew, co-founder of Calm. "The search for a cure is a new Holy Grail. GDPR may be our new best hope."
"New laws aren’t meant to be exciting. That’s not their role. But GDPR could sedate a buffalo," Tew adds.
The 34-minute sleep story is available through the Calm app and its website from 24 May.
Sweet dreams, folks.
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
