The civil liberties committee is preparing its position on a legislative package proposed by the European Commission that will replace the legislation currently in force, which dates back from 1995. Important aspects of the updated rules include the need for companies to ask for consent to process personal data, people's right to have their information deleted upon request and the requirement for companies to clearly explain their data protection policies.

A recent Eurobarometer survey shows that 70% of Europeans are concerned that their personal data may be misused by companies. Only 26% of respondents felt they had complete control over information disclosed on social networking sites and even fewer online shoppers (18%) felt in complete control of their data.

europarl.europa.eu

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