EU Seeks Tougher Online Code in Bid to Safeguard Private Data Wall Street Journal (11/05/10) John W. Miller
as it appeared in the November 5, 2010 edition of ACM TechNews.
The European Union (EU) has proposed new privacy rights for citizens sharing personal data on the Internet. The proposed rules suggest the creation of an online "right to be forgotten," which would give users the power to tell Web sites to permanently delete already submitted personal data. The rules also state that users must give explicit consent for firms to use or process their personal data in any way. "The protection of personal data is a fundamental right," says EU commissioner Viviane Reding. "We also need to bring our laws up to date with the challenges raised by new technologies and globalization." The proposal recommends giving users the right to sue companies for privacy breaches and offers criminal penalties. The proposal, which would rewrite the EU's 1995 data-protection law, says a shift in focus is needed in online privacy rights because the "ways of collecting personal data have become increasingly elaborated and less easily detectable." The proposal will be submitted as legislation next year, which will enable EU members to debate and amend the proposal before it becomes law. View Full Article
