The European Union will propose tough new rules in the coming days on how corporations handle Internet users’ personal data, a long-awaited move that could have far-reaching implications for Web giants such as Google Inc and Facebook.Viviane Reding, vice president of the European Commission, said in a speech on Sunday that the new data-protection legislation was needed to protect users and cut red tape for businesses in Europe.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/01/22/uk-eu-data-idUKTRE80L0QN20120122Also see:EU Data-Privacy Rules Require Quick Disclosure
A European Union proposal to simplify and toughen the region’s data-protection rules will require companies to disclose data breaches within 24 hours of their occurrences, Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said.The EU will this week outline an overhaul of its 17-year- old data-protection policies addressing online advertising and social-networking sites. The bill, which includes stricter sanctions and will equip national data-protection authorities with powers to levy administrative sanctions and fines, will “become a trademark people recognize and trust worldwide,” Reding said at a conference in Munich yesterday.
www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-22/eu-s-reding-says-users-to-be-told-of-data-hacks-within-24-hours.html