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Text 2 America rarely looks to Brussels for guidance.Commercial freedom appeals more than governmental control.But when it comes to data privacy,the case for copying the best bits of the European Union"s approach is compelling.The General Data Protection Regulation（GDPR）is due to come into force next month.It is rules-heavy and has its flaws,but its premise that consumers should be in charge of their personal data is the right one.The law lets users gain access to,and to correct,information that firms hold on them.It gives consumers the right to transfer their data to another organisation.It requires companies to define how they keep data secure.And it lets regulators levy big fines if firms break the rules.America has enacted privacy rules in areas such as health care.But it has never passed an overarching data-protection law.The failings of America"s self-regulatory approach are becoming clearer by the week.Large parts of the online economy are fuelled by data that consumers spray around without thought.Companies"mysterious privacy policies obscure what they do with their users"information,which often amounts to pretty much anything they please.Facebook is embroiled in crisis after news that data on 87m users had been passed to a political-campaign firm.These are changing the calculus about the benefits of self-regulation.Opponents of privacy legislation have long argued that the imposition of rules would keep technology companies from innovating.Yet as trust leaks out of the system,innovation is likely to suffer.If consumers worry about what smartphone apps may do with their data,fewer new offerings will take off.It is striking that many of the firms preparing for the GDPR"s arrival in Europe are excited that the law has forced them to put their data house in order.The need to minimise legal fragmentation only adds to the case for America to adopt bits of the GDPR.One reason behind the new rules in the EU was to harmonise data-protection laws so that firms can do business across Europe more easily.America is moving in the opposite direction.States that have detected a need for greater privacy are drafting their own laws.California has pending legislation that would establish a data-protection authority to regulate how the state"s big tech firms use Californians"personal data.The GDPR is far from perfect.At nearly 100 articles long,it is too complex and tries to achieve too many things.The compliance costs for smaller firms,in particular,look burdensome.But these are arguments for using it as a template,not for ignoring the issue of data protection.If America continues on today"s path,it will fail to protect the privacy of its citizens and long-term health of its firms.America"s data economy has thrived so far with hardly any rules.That era is over. Facebook is mentioned to show that_____.