Here’s why you’re getting all those terms of service update emails

Get the feeling you're suddenly being bombarded with emails from companies about updated terms of service policies?

You are. And there's a good reason: the European Union's forthcoming efforts to protect our personal data.

In April 2016, the EU announced it would soon be adopting the General Data Protection Regulation — a law that will more thoroughly govern the personal information and private data that companies and online social media platforms are able to access. Basically, the GDPR aims to ensure all your information is being used by companies responsibly.

And though the law is based in the EU, the GDPR has a worldwide impact because any global online company that collects data from someone living in the EU will be held accountable.

While the specific updates made to each terms of service policy will be individual to every company, the law expands the definition of what information is considered personal data. This means companies will likely be adjusting their privacy policies to inform users that less basic information such as IP addresses, location data, web browsing cookies, and other details are also defined as personal data.  

Though the new internet regulations don't go into effect until May 25, 2018, companies like Facebook, Instagram, Google, and more, are starting to prepare by updating their terms of services and privacy policies now.

That explains all the emails, which you might want to give a look to see if anything noteworthy has changed.

To learn more about the GDPR and the impact it will have on data-driven platforms, read Mashable's explainer.