Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-03-10-Speech-1-108"
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"en.20080310.18.1-108"2
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"Mr President, when ordinary users go online, they are unaware that their most sensitive personal data, such as their political and philosophical beliefs, finances, purchases, travel and interests generally, are recorded while they perform simple searches, make purchases or take part in discussions. Indeed, private companies collecting such data are often not even European. Today neither European laws nor international agreements prevent large private companies from using our personal data. I would go so far as to say that nothing prevents third-country security authorities from accessing such data. Why does Europe have the responsibility and potential to become involved in this? Because, as Mr Frattini rightly said, the Data Protection Directive applies to electronic and Internet service providers within and outside Europe. Our personal data does not lose its importance and interest simply because a company is outside Europe.
I have three specific proposals, Mr President:
Firstly, private citizens themselves really must be called on to give their express consent to any collection, let alone use, of their personal data as, in any case, the directive I have mentioned stipulates. This must be posted not in small print, but clearly and explicitly. At present, even those citizens wishing to delete their data or prevent it from being shared with third parties are usually unable to navigate their way around confusing web pages. Sites are designed to be complicated, so that companies using special tools and software can later discover the users’ interests and sell them products, or so that the security authorities can subsequently locate users for other reasons.
Secondly - and I am glad Mr Frattini has said this - the European Commission really must understand that the mergers of those companies are important in terms not only of financial analyses, but also of citizens’ personal data, which is probably being abused by others, or could be in future. We are not merely a community of money and markets; we are, first and foremost, one of values.
Thirdly, Mr President, allow me to conclude: today’s discussion opens up a very broad topic the surface of which we have barely scratched, although it concerns a worldwide problem. An international Charter of Fundamental Rights for Internet users is needed. Nothing of the sort exists at present. In this day and age, however, Big Brother will not appear, Mr President, because some dictatorship puts him there. Big Brother will do so because our whole lives are now recorded in the form of electronic traces on the Internet. If all of us together cannot find some basic principles to protect us, we shall wake up tomorrow to a very different and, I believe, far nastier world, however user-friendly, enjoyable and magical everything may seem to us today."@en1
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