Privacy groups tell U.S. to stop lobbying EU on data law changes

A coalition of privacy groups has written to leading U.S. politicians to seek assurances that policymakers "advance the aim of privacy" in Europe, rather than hinder the development of new European data protection and privacy laws.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), and more than a dozen other groups are seeking to meet with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and U.S. Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank, to ensure that new European data law proposals are bolstered and not weakened.

When made final, the European Union's Data Protection Regulation will govern the data and privacy laws of Europe's 27 member states.

In the letter (PDF) sent today, the 18 groups claim that U.S. and European citizens' privacy and personal data are "being abused by both the commercial sector and governments" and that the "line is increasingly blurred as personal data passes between both with few restrictions."

While European politicians continue to debate ever-amended drafts to the new EU Data Protection Regulation -- which seeks to replace an outdated 1995 directive -- U.S. policymakers are "mounting an unprecedented lobbying campaign to limit the protections that European law would provide," the lette... [Read more]





by Zack Whittaker via CNET