Public Policy Update - June 2007
The latest initiatives on data protection and privacy
1. Promoting Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs)
The European Commission recently underlined its aim to promote Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) to strengthen online privacy protection. The aim is to build trust in internet transactions as consumers’ fears grow about identity theft, discriminatory profiling, data privacy breaches, surveillance and fraud. PETs should support basic data privacy principles for instance:
- Processes that automatically anonymise data to support the principle that data are kept in an identifiable form for no longer than is necessary to fulfil the purpose for which they were originally collected.
- Encryption tools to prevent personal data being hacked when it is transmitted over the Internet, in line with the data controller's obligation to take appropriate measures to protect personal data against unlawful processing.
- Cookie cutters: software to prevent cookies being placed on computers and collecting information without the users’ knowledge. A key data principle is that data must be processed fairly and lawfully, and that the data subject must be informed about the processing going on.
- The Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P): allowing internet users to check website privacy policies to see if they conform with the information that they wish to release. This helps to ensure that data subjects' consent to processing of their data is informed.
The Commission plans to raise consumer awareness and will investigate the feasibility of an EU privacy seal system to help people recognise products and services that provide better data privacy protection by incorporating PETs.
Next steps: Research companies involved in online research should review whether their privacy policies fulfil the requirements for PETs.More information
KEEP ME INFORMED |