> They already do that, in Europe. I assume that it works, as I don’t hear about this level of stuff, over there
Often it's straight up the same companies - a Brit's PII is held by Experian, Equifax and Transunion just like an American's is.
And while the rules are strict and complicated enough to be very inconvenient for anyone who tries to follow them to the letter, the fines for even the worst fuck-ups are trivial. We're talking a $5 billion company handing 15 million people's credit reports to hackers, and getting fined $15 million.