We are subject to various privacy, information security and data protection laws, including requirements concerning security breach notification, and we could be negatively impacted by them. For example, we are subject to the GLBA and implementing regulations and guidance. Among other things, the GLBA (i) imposes certain limitations on the ability to share consumers' nonpublic personal information with nonaffiliated third parties and (ii) requires certain disclosures to consumers about our practices for the collection, sharing and safeguarding of their information and their right to "opt out" of the institution's disclosure of their personal financial information to nonaffiliated third parties (with certain exceptions). The GLBA and other state laws also require that we implement and maintain certain security measures, policies and procedures to protect personal information.
Furthermore, legislators and/or regulators are increasingly adopting new and/or amending existing privacy, information security and data protection laws that potentially could have a significant impact on our current and planned privacy, data protection and information security-related practices; our policies and practices related to the collection, use, sharing, retention and safeguarding of consumer and/or employee information; and some of our current or planned business activities. New requirements, originating from new or amended laws, could also increase our costs of compliance and business operations and could reduce income from certain business initiatives. The CFPB, for example, finalized its Personal Financial Data Rights Rule, which could require us to build an application that allows our customers to obtain their personal financial information and for authorized third parties to obtain our customers' information. This could increase our compliance costs, volatility in our customer base, and the risk of fraudulent access to consumers' personal financial information.
Compliance with current or future privacy, information security and data protection laws (including those regarding security breach notification) affecting customer and/or employee data to which we are subject could result in higher compliance and technology costs and could restrict our ability to provide certain products and services (such as products or services that involve sharing information with third parties or storing sensitive credit card information), which could materially and adversely affect our profitability. A failure by us or a third-party contractor providing services to us to comply with applicable data privacy and security laws, regulations, self-regulatory requirements or industry guidelines, or our terms of use with our users, may result in sanctions, statutory or contractual damages or litigation (including class actions) and may subject us to reputational harm. Additionally, there is always a danger that regulators can attempt to assert authority over our business in the area of privacy, information security and data protection. Furthermore, if our vendors and/or service providers are or become subject to laws and regulations in the jurisdictions that have enacted more stringent and expansive legislation applicable to privacy, information and/or data protection, the costs that these vendors and service providers must incur in becoming compliant may be passed along to us, resulting in increasing costs on our business.
Concerns in our ability, perceived or otherwise, to protect the privacy and security of personal information may affect our ability to retain and engage new and existing members, clients, investors, and employees, and thereby affect our financial condition. Furthermore, failure to comply or perceived failure to comply with applicable privacy or data protection laws, rules, and regulations may subject us to examinations, investigations, and general heightened scrutiny that may cause us to modify or cease certain operations or practices, significant liabilities or regulatory fines, penalties or other sanctions. Any of these could damage our reputation and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Privacy requirements, including notice and opt-out requirements, under the GLBA and FCRA are enforced by the FTC, the OCC and by the CFPB through UDAAP and are a standard component of OCC and CFPB compliance and examinations. State entities also may initiate actions for alleged violations of privacy or security requirements under state law. Our failure to comply with privacy, information security and data protection laws could result in potentially significant regulatory investigations and government actions, litigation, fines or sanctions, consumer or merchant actions and damage to our reputation and brand, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
If we collect and process personal data relating to individuals in the EU or the United Kingdom (the "UK") as a result of either offering goods or services into the EU or UK, or monitoring the behavior of EU and UK individuals, we will be required to comply with stringent privacy and data protection laws. Within the EU, legislators have adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (the "EU GDPR"), which became effective in May 2018. The EU GDPR will impose additional obligations and risks upon our business when we collect and process personal data about individuals from the EU and UK, which may increase substantially the penalties to which we could be subject in the event of any noncompliance. For example, the EU GDPR imposes a broad range of strict requirements on companies subject to the EU GDPR, including requirements relating to having legal bases and conditions for processing personal data and transferring such personal data outside the European Economic Area ("EEA") or the UK, including to the U.S., providing details to those individuals regarding the processing of their personal data, keeping personal data secure, having data processing agreements with third parties who process personal data, responding to individuals' requests to exercise their rights in respect of their personal data, where required reporting security breaches involving personal data to the competent national data protection authority and affected individuals, where required, appointing data protection officers, where required conducting data protection impact assessments for high risk processing, and record-keeping. We may incur substantial expense in complying with obligations imposed by the EU GDPR and we may be required to make significant changes in our business operations, all of which may adversely affect our revenues and our business overall.
In addition, further to the UK's exit from the EU on January 31, 2020, the EU GDPR ceased to apply in the UK at the end of the transition period on December 31, 2020. However, as of January 1, 2021, the UK's European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 incorporated the GDPR (as it existed on December 31, 2020 but subject to certain UK specific amendments) into UK law, referred to as the "UK GDPR". The UK GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 set out the UK's data protection regime, which is independent from but aligned to the EU's data protection regime. Noncompliance with the UK GDPR may result in significant monetary penalties. Although the UK is regarded as a third country under the EU GDPR, the EC has issued a decision recognizing the UK as providing adequate protection under the EU GDPR and, therefore, transfers of personal data originating in the EU to the UK remain unrestricted. The UK Government introduced a Data Protection and Digital Information Bill which failed in the UK legislative process. A new Data (Use and Access) Bill ("UK Bill") has been introduced into parliament. If passed, the final version of the UK Bill may have the effect of further altering the similarities between the UK and EEA data protection regime and threaten the UK Adequacy Decision from the EC. Further, this may lead to additional compliance costs and could increase our overall risk. Like the EU GDPR, the UK GDPR restricts personal data transfers outside the UK to countries not regarded by the UK as providing adequate protection. The UK government has confirmed that personal data transfers from the UK to the EEA remain free flowing.
In addition, around the world many jurisdictions outside of Europe are also considering and/or have enacted comprehensive data protection legislation. For example, we are subject to stringent privacy and data protection requirements in Hong Kong. Also, many jurisdictions where we may seek to expand our business in the future are also considering and/or have enacted comprehensive data protection legislation. Additional jurisdictions with stringent data protection laws include Brazil and China.
The regulatory framework governing the collection, processing, storage, use and sharing of certain information, particularly financial and other personal information, is rapidly evolving and is likely to continue to be subject to uncertainty and varying interpretations. It is possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with laws in other jurisdictions or with our existing data management practices or the features of our services and platform capabilities. We therefore cannot yet fully determine the impact existing and/or future laws, rules, regulations and industry standards may have on our business or operations. Any failure or perceived failure by us, or any third parties with which we do business, to comply with our posted privacy policies, changing consumer expectations, evolving laws, rules and regulations,industry standards, or contractual obligations to which we or such third parties are or may become subject, may result in actions or other claims against us by governmental entities or private actors, the expenditure of substantial costs, time and other resources or the imposition of significant fines, penalties or other liabilities. In addition, any such action, particularly to the extent we were found to be guilty of violations or otherwise liable for damages, would damage our reputation and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Any such laws, rules, regulations and industry standards may be inconsistent among different jurisdictions, subject to differing interpretations or may conflict with our current or future practices. Additionally, our customers may be subject to differing privacy laws, rules and legislation, which may mean that they require us to be bound by varying contractual requirements applicable to certain other jurisdictions. Adherence to such contractual requirements may impact our collection, use, processing, storage, sharing and disclosure of various types of information including financial information and other personal information, and may mean we become bound by, or voluntarily comply with, self-regulatory or other industry standards relating to these matters that may further change as laws, rules and regulations evolve. Complying with these requirements and changing our policies and practices may be onerous and costly, and we may not be able to respond quickly or effectively to regulatory, legislative and other developments. These changes may in turn impair our ability to offer our existing or planned features, products and services and/or increase our cost of doing business. As we expand our customer base, these requirements may vary from customer to customer, further increasing the cost of compliance and doing business.
We publicly post documentation regarding our practices concerning the collection, processing, use and disclosure of data. Although we endeavor to comply with our published policies and documentation, we may at times fail to do so or be alleged to have failed to do so. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy policies or any applicable privacy, security or data protection, information security or consumer-protection related laws, regulations, orders or industry standards could expose us to costly litigation, significant awards, fines or judgments, civil and/or criminal penalties or negative publicity, and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The publication of our privacy policy and other documentation that provide promises and assurances about privacy and security can subject us to potential state and federal action if they are found to be deceptive, unfair, or misrepresentative of our actual practices, which could, individually or in the aggregate, materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.