The coherent enforcement of fundamental rights in the age of big data

On the 23 September 2016 the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), Giovanni Buttarelli, has published a new Opinion: "Coherent enforcement of fundamental rights in the age of big data."

The key points from the Opinion can be summarised as follows: 

  • Processing personal information is indispensable to web-based services
  • Many services on the Internet have become dependent on often covert tracking of individuals, the latter being generally unaware of the nature and extent of that
  • EDPS voices its concern about how market power and personal data are concentrated in fewer and fewer hands
  • Authorities need to work more closely to protect the rights and interests of individuals, as the right to privacy, to freedom of expression and non-discrimination
  • According to the EDPS, data protection, consumer and competition law each in theory serve common goals, but in reality they generally work in silos

EDPS calls for a re-engineering of regulation on the EU regarding big data and the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

In order to avoid the threats to the fundamental rights posed by standards and behaviours which have become the norm, EDPS calls for:

  • Establishing a Digital Clearing House for enforcement in the EU digital sector
  • A voluntary network of regulatory bodies to share information about possible abuses in the digital environment and ways to tackle these in an effective way
  • Guidance on how regulators could apply rules protecting individuals
  • Creating a common area on the web where individuals can interact without being tracked, aligned with the Charter of Fundamental Rights
  • Updating the rules on merger controls so as to better protect online privacy personal information and freedom of expression

Privacy and data protection are fundamental rights in the European Union. Data protection is a fundamental right, protected by EU law and codified in Article 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

The press statement can be found here



Date: 05/10/2016 | Tag: | News: 513 of 1618
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