EU to propose tough web rules
The European Union will propose tough new rules in the coming days on how corporations handle internet users’ personal data, a long-awaited move that could have far-reaching implications for web giants such as Google and Facebook. Viviane Reding, vice president of the European Commission, said yesterday that the new data-protection legislation was needed to protect users and cut red tape for businesses in Europe.
“Only if consumers trust that their data is protected will they entrust companies with it … We need individuals to be in control of their information,” Reding said at the DLD conference of tech industry leaders in Munich. But Reding also emphasised a need to simplify Europe’s approach to online data protection, arguing that the current system was too cumbersome and costly for business.
Europe’s new data-protection rules are expected to be issued on 25 January.