Europe collectively has decided to take a stand against tech company’s usage of consumer data. On Friday the European Union will implement regulations designed to safeguard citizen’s online footprint.

While Europe is the first to enact such procedures, many countries plan to follow suit such as Japan, South Korea, and Brazil. Known as the General Data Protection Regulation, the regulations not only restrains tech company’s usage of consumer data, but also allows people to access their data and to order a company to delete data that they obtain from them according to the New York Times. G.D.P.R. also requires companies to describe precisely what they intend to do with a person’s data. Failing to comply with these new rules results in the companies being charged fines.

Big companies such Facebook and Uber now are reworking their privacy policies in Europe in order to conform to the new regulations. Some believe that giant, wealthy companies such as Google may be able to avoid the regulations or fines because of the limited resources national regulators have to work with in order to keep the companies in check.

Although Europe’s privacy policy ideas have spread to other countries, the United States has not seen much of a change in views, and American tech companies only continue to grow as of now, especially as the Trump administration seeks to cut taxes and lessen regulations placed on companies. Some Democratic senators wish to pass a resolution that resembles G.D.P.R. in many ways though according to the New York Times, and so policy might change if there is a shift in control of Congress.