International Telecom

摘要

Germany must take the lead in pushing through reform of EU data protection rules, said outgoingrnEuropean Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx. Germany claims a special responsibility and role inrnthe privacy arena, and the new German government can tackle the subject with enough drive and energyrnto lead Europe to a higher level of data protection, he said in a speech this week in Bonn. Revised datarnprotection rules will define clearer responsibilities for organizations and more consistency and uniformityrnin privacy across online and traditional markets, so it's essential that progress on the reform package isrnmade before political and economic interests restrict basic rights, he said. Hustinx also called for an EUlevelrnframework for net neutrality, saying the Internet is a key means of cross-border economic and socialrnexchange. However, he said, the European Commission's “connected continent” proposal for a regulationrnon e-communications will unduly limit Internet freedom because it gives almost unlimited rights to providersrnto manage traffic. Moreover, the large-scale monitoring and restriction of users' Internet communicationsrnmade possible in the proposal breach EU data protection legislation and the EU Charter of FundamentalrnRights, he said. Users in democratic societies should be certain their rights to privacy and confidentialityrnof their communications, and protection of the personal information, are respected, he said.