Officials to tighten Internet privacy
Source: Agencies |
March 18, 2011, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WHEN it comes to privacy, the Internet has long been something of a Wild West but that is starting to change, with regulators in Europe and the United States beginning to pull in the reins.
On both sides of the Atlantic, officials are scrutinizing how companies such as Facebook and Google handle users' personal data, as they draw up plans to protect surfers while ensuring the growth of rapidly expanding social media, search engine and other web-based businesses.
In the first sign of where Europe may be headed with its privacy regulations, the European Union announced this week that social networking sites and search engines could face court action if they fail to obey new EU data privacy rules.
Under proposals to be fleshed out in the coming months and that will update 16-year-old data-protection laws, the European Commission wants to force companies holding data to allow users to withdraw it from websites, calling it the "right to be forgotten."
Some companies, such as Microsoft, support the effort by the EU and the US to align their policies, saying it will result in clearer rules.
"Companies need solid, clear rules to be able to continue to invest and to be competitive," said John Vassallo, Microsoft's vice president of EU affairs.
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