14 DAY TRIAL // Social networks and other websites could be facing much tougher privacy laws in the EU. The data protection laws may get an overhaul to make them more relevant to today's world and may especially target social networks and advertising companies.
Viviane Reding, the EU’s justice commissioner, reiterated her support for newer laws and regulations and said companies should obey the EU privacy laws regardless of where they're located, if they want to operate in Europe.
"Privacy standards for European citizens should apply independently of the area of the world in which their data is being processed," she said in a speech.
"A US-based social network company that has millions of active users in Europe needs to comply with EU rules," she added.
While she made no direct mention of Facebook, much of the criticism was directed at the social network. One of the complaints was that privacy settings are confusing and are often made to work against the user.
Instead of the user having to opt-out of various programs and make sure their data is private, the social networks should be the ones asking users to opt-in.
"I want to explicitly clarify that people shall have the right – and not only the possibility – to withdraw their consent to data processing," Reding also said.
While there is a push to revamp the privacy laws dating from 1995 the exact provisions won't be known until later in the year when a proposal is expected.
One of the big additions will be that any company from around the world will be liable if it offers its services in the EU. How exactly this will work and how companies are going to be penalized has not been established.
Another one that has been thrown around lately in the EU is the "right to be forgotten" which would give users the ability to remove or block images or other content to protect their privacy.
Plenty of rights groups have raised concerns over this since it pretty much amounts to censorship. If the matter is pushed forward, it will most likely lead to a heated debate.