The European Parliament’s new Special Rapporteur for the proposed ePrivacy Regulation, German MEP Birgit Sippel, has made her first public statement setting out her beliefs – and she didn’t mince her words.
Speaking at the IAPP Europe Data Protection Congress, she told a sold-out event that online and offline privacy should be afforded the same status:
““Would you allow a stranger to go into your bedroom or look through your drawers without your permission?” she asked. “No, you probably wouldn’t.”
Sippel also called for over the top (OTT) providers, including services such as messaging and dating apps, to be covered by the ePrivacy Regulation, arguing: “Some of us may send an SMS text, while others may use a service like WhatsApp. One is covered by the current ePrivacy Directive, while the other is not. Consumers need the same protections for both.”
She also called for an abolition of surveillance-driven advertising – and the need for implemented legislation to make good on universally-agreed freedoms such the right to personal privacy.
One key theme from her speech was that businesses have the answers to innovating with privacy – and that compliance with privacy regulation need not stifle new ideas.
She said that businesses are innovative and should be able to create ways of obtaining meaningful consent without causing consumer fatigue.
Here at digi.me, where we have built a bespoke Consent Access platform so our users – and those who want consented access to their data – can do just that, we couldn’t agree more.
New legislation will always bring challenges, but in rising to meet those we create superior products that exceed consumer expectations while being compliant.
And that’s certainly a win-win situation for everyone. So here’s to innovation!