Late January 2012, the EU Commission presented the first proposal of a comprehensive reform of the existing EU Data Protection Directive. No doubt, the current Data Protection Directive requires more than just a slight refreshment, it requires a significant re-design. It has been established in 1995, when less than 1% of the EU population used the Internet. Now 17 years later we are faced with a globally connected world with all its benefits and challenges.
The new proposal has the ambitious goal to harmonise the patchwork of different laws in force across the EU countries. It is complex and large, and is just the beginning of the process to enact new rules changing the existing data protection regime, which will likely take two years from now, or even more.
Not just since the date of presenting the proposal but even started before, there is an ongoing discussion about how these new data protection and privacy rules should be designed and enforced to meet today and future digital age requirements. Just one out of many opinions, the European Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx issued his opinion about the proposal in early March.
The text is likely to change a lot until it becomes a final directive proposal, but nevertheless the final directive will have a significant impact on individuals and organisations in a number of areas. Therefore I am very interested in your opinion. What are your challenges today to meet data protection and e-privacy requirements and principles? What is your opinion on the new proposal? What specific areas of the proposal concerns you or get you applause? What improvements/changes from the current status quo would you like to see in a new data protection regime?
I am looking forward for your opinion and an open discussion about it.