This 2002 ePrivacy Directive is an important legal instrument for privacy in the digital age, and more specifically the confidentiality of communications and the rules regarding tracking and monitoring. The entry into force of the General Data Protection Regulation requires the EU legislator to update this text and the European Commission published a proposal on 10 January 2017. This new text will have to tackle the rapidly evolving technological landscape, with issues such as confidentiality of machine-to-machine communication (Internet of Things) or the confidentiality of individuals’ communication on publicly accessible networks (such as public Wi-Fi).
Prior-checking Opinion regarding the updated notifications for staff appraisal and reclassification at CdT (EDPS cases 2016-0011 and 2016-0292)
Speech by Giovanni Buttarelli at Austrian Commission of Jurists, Wien, Austria.
Letter concerning access to premises at the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) (case 2017-1077)
The proposed ePrivacy Regulation, once adopted, will update the “rules of the road” for privacy and electronic communications. It will modernise existing principles, clarify the technological requirements and provide for effective enforcement. The EDPS issued his advice on the ePrivacy review in a Preliminary Opinion (5/2016) and on the European Commission’s proposed Regulation in Opinion 06/2017. Given developments in deliberations on the proposal, and for the benefit of the co-legislator, we have decided to offer advice and clarifications on some specific issues, in line with our previous opinions.1 These recommendations focus on the need to ensure legal certainty and a high level of protection of the fundamental rights to privacy and data protection.
In the June 2017 edition of the EDPS Newsletter we introduce you to our new-look Newsletter and cover the EDPS Opinion on ePrivacy, our continuing work on data ethics and the launch of our 2016 Annual Report, as well as many other EDPS activities.