EU's new data protection rules to target Facebook, Street View

Nov 4, 2010, 15:00 GMT

Brussels - New European Union rules on data protection will target social networking websites like Facebook and online map services such as Google's Street View, the bloc's executive indicated on Thursday.

The European Commission issued a paper containing key ideas for updating existing EU laws on data protection, dating back to 1995. EU justice commissioner Viviane Reding had announced her intention to act on the matter back in February.

While concrete legislation will be presented only next year, the commission said Thursday that it would propose strengthening the right to have personal information stored online deleted.

'People who want to delete profiles on social networking sites should be able to rely on the service provider to remove personal data, such as photos, completely,' a commission memo said.

'A single social network service now counts half a billion users globally - as many as the entire EU population,' the text adds, referring explicitly to Facebook.

'The benefits of this technology to individuals, businesses and public authorities must go hand in hand with the necessary respect for personal data,' the commission paper warns.

Facebook was criticized in 2009 for introducing the right, in its terms of use, to retain personal information such as photos uploaded by users even after they had deleted their account. Following complaints, this was modified.

Google's Street View service, offering roadside images of towns based on real life pictures collected by roving car-mounted cameras, also came under fire in several EU member states, as people complained of a breach of privacy.

In a bid to address these concerns, the commission said new EU rules would clearly enforce web users' 'right to be forgotten,' forcing companies to delete data not only when users ask for it, but also when they no longer need it.

The commission also vowed to limit companies' ability to collect information about their users' online habits - a precious tool for advertising purposes.

In parallel, the EU executive is expected to call for tougher data protection standards in police and criminal justice matters - an area where the EU gained new powers when the Lisbon Treaty entered into force last year.