The European Commission has good reason to justify is future proposal on reinforced protection of private data of EU citizens, especially online. According to results of a Eurobarometer survey, released on 16 June, 74% of Europeans feel that disclosing personal information is a part of modern life. The same proportion of citizens (75%) want a right to be forgotten' on the internet. This right has been promised by Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding and it would allow internet users to ask Google and other internet players to erase their data.
The survey - based on a sample of 26,574 citizens aged 15 and over across the EU - is loaded with figures. For example: in the mind of 75% of people surveyed the most private data were financial, followed by medical data (74%) and identity cards and passport numbers (73%).
Given that most of the information internet users reveal is linked to the use of social networks, such as Facebook, said information most often provided was name (79%), photos (51%) and nationality (47%). Online shoppers most often provided companies with their name, address and GSM number. Forty-three percent of respondents said they were asked to provide more information than was necessary. Only 58% of internet users read privacy statements online and 70% of them adapted their online behaviour accordingly.
Only 33% of users were aware of the existence of national authorities dealing with information technology, privacy and freedom, such as the Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertes (CNIL) in France. Furthermore, 62% of people in the European Union gave the minimum required information so as to protect their identity. They were more likely to trust public authorities rather than companies. Seventy percent of the respondents said they were concerned about companies using these data for purposes other than agreed. Twenty-eight percent were prepared to pay to have access to their data stocked by private or public entities. Although a majority of Europeans wanted to be responsible for the protection of their own data, 90% were in favour of having the same data protection rights across Europe. Opinions varied when it came to choosing between legislation implemented by the EU (44%) or by member states (40%). With regard to companies using their data without their knowledge, 51% of Europeans felt that they should be sentenced, banned from using the collected data (40%) or forced to financially compensate victims (39%). Eighty-eight percent felt that their privacy would be better protected if large companies were obliged to have a data protection controller.
Reding plans to release her proposal in the autumn (revising a 1995 directive). In March, she announced four pillars: 1. the right to be forgotten'; 2. increased transparency on the part of companies using these data; 3. use of data to be strictly limited to the use agreed by their owner; and 4. all companies operating in the EU to follow the Union's data protection regulation.n
The survey is available at www.europolitics.info > Search = 295895
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