Web firms will have to seek Internet users’ explicit consent before downloading their personal data and must make it possible for private information to be deleted for good from the web, according to a European Commission strategy on data protection to be unveiled today (4 November).
BACKGROUND
The use of citizens’ data online has become a subject of intense scrutiny at EU level recently, in part due to controversies surrounding Google’s StreetView mapping service and Facebook’s privacy policy.
While the growing number of tailored products and services offers increased benefits for consumers, it also relies enormously on the use of personal data.
Private information can range from financial data, such as credit card numbers or bank account deposit details, to sensitive info concerning health conditions or sexual and political orientation.
The possibilities for misusing or abusing this information are infinite. It has been suggested that one way to deal with the new situation would be to inform data holders of possible breaches of their personal information. This is expected to raise awareness among consumers and at the same time help tackle the negative effects of data theft.
The first sector to adopt the new approach is telecoms. The current review of the Data Protection Directive, part of the EU’s Digital Agenda, intends to broaden the scope of users’ data privacy to webmail, social networks and online banking, among others.
To read more about the EU Digital Agenda, click here.
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According to the draft paper, seen by EurActiv, the Commission is gearing up for a crackdown on how web companies, in particular social networking sites and online advertising firms, use citizens’ private data.
“It is […] essential that individuals are well and clearly informed, in a transparent way, by data controllers about how and by whom their data are collected and processed, for what reasons [and] for how long,” reads the draft Commission communication.
Citizens should be kept informed of “what their rights are if they want to access, rectify or delete their data,” according to the paper, entitled ‘A comprehensive strategy on data protection in the European Union’.