The Vice-President of the European Commission and responsible for Justice, Viviane Reding, announced on Wednesday that before the summer she will present a legislative proposal to protect the right to be forgotten on social networks. The goal of this initiative is that users can require companies like Facebook to completely delete their personal data or photos when they unsubscribe from the service.
The recognition of this right to be forgotten will be included in the reform of EU data protection rules, which aims to adapt them to the changes brought about by new technologies.
"By modernising the legislation, I want to specifically clarify that individuals should have the right, and not just the possibility, to withdraw their consent to data processing," Reding said. Therefore, the first pillar of the reform will be "the 'right to be forgotten': a complete set of new and existing rules to better address the risks to privacy on the internet."
The vice president of the Community Executive has also revealed that the proposal will require that the configuration of social networks such as Facebook guarantee "privacy by default", so that user data cannot be processed unless they have given their express permission.
"The default privacy rule would prevent data collection through software applications, for example. The use of the data for any other purpose that goes beyond those that are specified will only be allowed with the explicit consent of the user," explained Reding.
Therefore, Brussels will demand greater transparency from social networks, which will be obliged to inform users about the data they will collect, for what purposes, how they can be used by third parties and what are the risks so that they do not lose control over their personal information.
"I want to ensure that those who sign up for a social network enjoy greater clarity. Often, unfavorable conditions such as restricting users' control over their personal data or making data public irreversibly are not clearly mentioned," Reding said.
Finally, the Commission will require companies located outside the EU that process data of EU citizens to also comply with these rules.
Source: La Vanguardia
