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Public Policy Updates

• February 2008
• June 2007
• January 2007

February 2008

• 1. New ICC/ESOMAR International Code
• 2. The European Commission’s Data Privacy Working Party
• 3. The EU Directive on Unfair Commercial Practices
• 4. The EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive
• 5. European Commission White Paper on Obesity
• 6. EU developing policy on RFID and e-privacy
• 7. EU developing policy on children’s privacy issues
• 8. Ensuring ISO 20252 compliance from subcontractors
• 9. Huge fines for silent calls in the UK
• 10. US House approves Do-Not-Call improvement legislation
• 11. US push for registry of drug makers’ gifts to doctors
• 12. Victory for issue polling in Florida
• 13. Global data storage and retention
• 14. Political robocalls, ADAD and IVR

Further information

For more information please contact Anna Alù:

a.alu@esomar.org

Public Policy Update - February 2008

 

6. RFID and e-privacy

A 2006 public consultation on smart radio tags (RFID) showed growing public concern about how personal data is used. The Commission responded by saying it planned to address privacy concerns as it wants to boost consumer confidence and Europe’s position in this market. An expert group is helping to develop a policy proposal due March 2008 and privacy and governance issues will be addressed in a communication on “The Internet of Things” due first quarter 2009.

Next steps: RFID technology is still too expensive for general use in market research but several companies are testing it for readership surveys whereby a microchip tag is placed on magazine pages that will be detected by a remote tag reader when designated pages are turned. The Commission’s security and privacy principles could eventually be built into the e-privacy Directive on electronic privacy which could be applied from 2010. Meanwhile researchers should be aware of privacy concerns in developing RFID technology, especially if personally identifiable information could be collected.

More information

• "The RFID Revolution: Your voice on the Challenges, Opportunities and Threats":
  http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/rfid/doc/rfidswp_en.pdf
• “Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in Europe: a step towards a policy framework”:
  http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/rfid/doc/rfid_en.pdf

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