EU Council OKs contentious data privacy plan, pushing reform forward

The EU Council has issued a long-awaited, hotly debated plan for online privacy, moving the EU’s reform of data-protection laws closer to reality.The Council says that the plan will give people more control over their personal data, but privacy groups say the proposal actually weakens privacy safeguards.Data protection reform is important for European citizens, tech companies and any business processing personal data in the EU. Current data protection rules stem from a 1995 law and urgently need an update for an era in which cloud computing, smartphones and high-speed Internet access are common.The Council plan revealed on Monday requires, among other things, that companies get unambiguous consent from individuals in order to be allowed to process personal data. Companies will also be obliged to implement appropriate security measures to protect personal data and notify affected people when breaches occur.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here