The EU's data collection measures take effect May 25 and will reach beyond the Continent. Here's what you need to know.

Companies that do business with those in the European Union must comply with its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The law could compel people in other countries to demand such measures, too. Passed two years ago, the GDPR is poised to reshape how companies, regardless of location, collect personal data for uses that include advertising. Such information includes birth dates, political affiliations, and television viewing habits. This translates into a few major steps, according to Nick Couldry, a media and communications professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. First, companies will be required to alert EU users when they are collecting data and the reason for it. "You have to be told why I’m collecting the data, basically what I’m going to do," he says. The GDPR also stipulates that alerts for users must be expressed in ordinary, nontechnical language – not in dense columns of legalese. In addition, EU consumers will have the "right to be forgotten," which will allow them to have their personal data removed from any company whenever they choose. No single US law regulates the use of personal data. Instead, the country relies on a web of state and federal legislation with various focuses. For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) lays out rules for how health plans and providers handle information about patients, but the law’s protections don’t extend beyond health care. read more at csmonitor.com