Jan 23
A European Union proposal to simplify and toughen the region’s data-protection rules will require companies to disclose data breaches within 24 hours of their occurrences, Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said.
The EU will this week outline an overhaul of its 17-year- old data-protection policies addressing online advertising and social-networking sites. The bill, which includes stricter sanctions and will equip national data-protection authorities with powers to levy administrative sanctions and fines, will “become a trademark people recognize and trust worldwide,” Reding said at a conference in Munich yesterday.
Sony Corp. was criticized last year by U.S. lawmakers for taking six days to warn customers about a cyber attack that exposed more than 100 million customer accounts, the second- largest online data breach in U.S. history. Industry groups with members including Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc. have warned the EU against setting overly strict data-privacy rules, saying that may stifle innovation.
“What exactly do companies need to do within those 24 hours, and what happens for example with cookies?” said Kay Oberbeck, Mountain View, California-based Google’s head of communication for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, in an interview. Oberbeck was referring to Internet files that are saved on a user’s computer to enable website operators to display personalized content.
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The EU will this week outline an overhaul of its 17-year- old data-protection policies addressing online advertising and social-networking sites. The bill, which includes stricter sanctions and will equip national data-protection authorities with powers to levy administrative sanctions and fines, will “become a trademark people recognize and trust worldwide,” Reding said at a conference in Munich yesterday.
Sony Corp. was criticized last year by U.S. lawmakers for taking six days to warn customers about a cyber attack that exposed more than 100 million customer accounts, the second- largest online data breach in U.S. history. Industry groups with members including Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc. have warned the EU against setting overly strict data-privacy rules, saying that may stifle innovation.
“What exactly do companies need to do within those 24 hours, and what happens for example with cookies?” said Kay Oberbeck, Mountain View, California-based Google’s head of communication for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, in an interview. Oberbeck was referring to Internet files that are saved on a user’s computer to enable website operators to display personalized content.
To Continue Reading: