The New York Times reports on the proposal to tax data collection with the goal of promoting sound practices for gathering and protecting information. French auditor Nicolas Colin introduced the idea based on European countries’ frustrations with their inability to collect tax revenue from Internet companies generating significant income each year, especially as budget deficits loom. “Every government needs revenues,” Colin said, adding the individual taxpayer and small companies carry the burden if large corporations do not. A spokesman for the French data protection authority said given that personal data fuels the digital economy, “it would seem like a natural idea to envision taxing the use of them.” (Registration may be required to access this story.)
Full Story