On the note of taking care of privacy issues and laws, the European Union and the United States announced a new commitment to collaboration on privacy issues and laws at the High Level Conference. The High Level Conference on Privacy and Protection of Personal Data, held simultaneously in Washington, DC and Brussels with the participation of Vice-President Viviane Reding and Secretary John Bryson, represents an important opportunity to deepen our transatlantic dialogue on commercial data privacy issues.
The quote, from the statement released in the name of European Union Commissioner Viviane Reding and US Commerce Secretary John Bryson:
The European Union and the United States are global leaders in protecting individual freedoms, including privacy, while at the same time fostering innovation and trade that are so critical to the world economy, notably in the present times. Stronger transatlantic cooperation in the field of data protection will enhance consumer trust and promote the continued growth of the global Internet economy and the evolving digital transatlantic common market. This work will also encourage innovation and entrepreneurship and support the jobs and growth agenda as outlined by President Obama and Presidents Van Rompuy and Barroso at the November 28, 2011 U.S.-EU Summit.
This is a defining moment for global personal data protection and privacy policy and for achieving further interoperability of our systems on a high level of protection. On January 25, 2012, the European Commission adopted legislative proposals to reform and strengthen the fundamental right to data protection and unify the EU’s data protection laws and enforcement rules. On February 23, 2012, the United States released its privacy blueprint, including the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights. President Obama emphasized the Administration’s commitment to privacy in the U.S., and called for Congress to pass legislation that applies the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights to commercial sectors not subject to existing Federal data privacy laws and development of enforceable codes of conduct through multistakeholder processes.
