The European Union’s General Data Protection Rule (GDPR) caused quite the flurry of activity a few months ago. It and similar rules in Canada are forcing companies that maintain lists to explain how customer data is handled, and it also has had an impact as far as compliance with anti-spam policies related to email. Now companies must gain permission from those living in the European Union (EU) and Canada to email them and they must indicate they understand the company’s privacy policy. The deadline for compliance seemed to sneak up on some marketers and those who had cut corners are now scrambling to maintain lists in the aftermath.

This was a major, long-overdue wake-up call for companies that have been playing fast and loose with customer data. It also gave consumers a chance to reconsider the information they were receiving. They could invest the time to remain on a list, which would be a testament to brand loyalty, or they could opt out and fade away by simply not responding to those outreach efforts. The companies were supposed to remove the people from those regions who didn’t respond.

The whole GDPR conflagration made us at E&MJ chuckle. After all, E&MJ’s business model is based on knowing our readers, and E&MJ’s readers tick off a box once a year saying, “Yes, I want this magazine.” If we don’t hear from you in two years, you are removed from the list. That’s usually when I get the call from a friend saying, “Hey, where’s my E&MJ?!” and I usually respond with something along the lines of “I don’t know. The other 16,550 readers received their magazines.”

Today, most readers prefer to renew their free subscriptions at www.e-mj.com. We recently invested a considerable effort in remodeling the E&MJ website and the subscription renewal process. You should check it out. When readers renew or sign up, they are also presented with other choices, such as Mining Media International’s free weekly eNewsletter, print and/or digital magazines, and permission to receive information from third parties. If you haven’t renewed your subscription in a while, please consider doing so. And, if there are people at the mine or the plant who could benefit from a free technical resource, let them know about E&MJ.

When readers give E&MJ permission to send them information from a third party, we offer that service to a select group of companies. Many of them advertise with E&MJ. They can use that marketing tool to reach you without worrying about anti-spam compliance. The information is pre-screened and relevant.

From time to time, E&MJ straw polls its audience on certain subjects. Some readers may have received the recent crusher study or the E&MJ readership survey. That information is collected anonymously. We have always taken your privacy seriously and will continue to do so.

We at Mining Media International applaud these efforts by the EU, Canada and others to protect their constituents and feel that more countries should do the same. In addition to keeping information private, it rewards the companies that have invested the time and effort, not to mention the money, to build and maintain controlled lists and penalizes those that are less discerning in their tactics.

We respect the fact that readers trust E&MJ to wade through the noise and provide timely and accurate information. Thank you for your loyalty.

Steve Fiscor, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, E&MJ