In a speech in Brussels this week on “Competition and Privacy in Markets of Data,” Vice President of the European Commission Joaquín Almunia said privacy is becoming one of the central debates of our time. That’s thanks to technological and commercial developments enabling ever-increasing data collection possibilities and companies’ efforts to target services to consumers’ specific needs. Citing a number of privacy violations involving multiple firms, Almunia said it’s “necessary to strike the right balance between regulation and competition policy enforcement” via a “strong and effective consumer policy.” The forthcoming data protection regulation’s provision on data portability will help to ensure this, he said.
Full Story