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European Data Protection Day aims to raise citizens' awareness

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The annual European Data Protection Day, a joint initiative by the European Commission and the Council of Europe, is on 28 January and aims to give people the chance to understand what personal data is collected and processed about them and why, and what their rights are with respect to this processing.

On 25 January, the Commission adopted major proposals for a comprehensive reform of EU data protection rules to strengthen online privacy rights and boost Europe's digital economy.

The Commission's proposals update and modernise the principles enshrined in the 1995 Data Protection Directive to guarantee privacy rights in the future. They include a policy Communication setting out the Commission's objectives and two legislative proposals: a regulation setting out a general EU framework for data protection and a directive on protecting personal data processed for the purposes of prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of criminal offences and related judicial activities.

A single law will do away with the current fragmentation and costly administrative burdens, leading to savings for businesses of around €2.3 billion per year. The initiative will help reinforce consumer confidence in online services, providing a much needed boost to growth, jobs and innovation in Europe.

Justice, Fundamental Rights, and Citizenship Commissioner Viviane Reding and Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said: “Hyper-connectivity should go hand-in-hand with the protection of privacy online. The protection of personal data is a fundamental right. Information technology offers huge economic and social potential, which will be fully realised if citizens trust that their personal information online is protected."

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