The European Commission today proposed a comprehensive reform of the EU’s 1995 data protection rules for online privacy. The proposal includes two legislative proposals setting out the Commission’s objectives: a Regulation setting out a general EU framework for data protection, and a Directive on protecting personal data processed for the purposes of prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of criminal offences and related judicial activities.
SIIA welcomes revisions that would make it easier for global companies to demonstrate compliance with the EU privacy regime, and to ease the administrative burdens. However, we are concerned that the breadth of these proposed regulations threaten the internet economy and impede economic growth and job creation. SIIA looks forward to working with EU oifficials to resolve any concerns about substantive new privacy rules such as the proposed new right to be forgotten and requirements for affirmative consent.
Mark MacCarthy, Vice President, Public Policy at SIIA, directs SIIA’s public policy initiatives in the areas of intellectual property enforcement, information privacy, cybersecurity, cloud computing and the promotion of educational technology.