I realise that most people believe politicians prefer to draft a law as a way for them to be “remembered”, but over the coming weeks in the European Parliament we will continue the discussion towards a comprehensive set of data protection rules that will allow people to demand the erasure of their personal data, stop its dissemination and essentially be “forgotten” online.
The internet has changed our lives, our business models and the political spectrum forever. It has facilitated regime changes and revolutions and, as law-makers, we must ensure that there are the right conditions for it to continue to grow, to continue to drive innovation and to continue to be a huge source of employment and entrepreneurship in the EU.
The European Parliament has been at the forefront of technological changes. As technology evolves, we have to ensure that member states not only have the infrastructure and the networks but also are provided with the incentives and regulations that allow the EU to remain in step with the rest of the world and to ensure that we continue to generate growth and boost our economies. But we have to also strike a balance that allows for this to happen while simultaneously reinforcing the rights of people.
The new Data Protection Regulation, soon to be put to Members of the European Parliament, strengthens your digital rights including through providing for more transparency, greater control over processing, specific provisions for processing of children's personal data, a strengthened right to data access, a strengthened right to object to your data being used, a right to data portability, more rights related to data deletion and a strengthened right to redress through the relevant authorities and the courts.
I have lost count of the number of parents who have spoken to me about their worries regarding what their teenage children post online, often with little regard to the possible consequences on their lives years later. The regulation gives people the right to erase or stop the dissemination of their personal data on a number of grounds. There are also safeguards envisaged so, for example, data used for legitimate purposes will not be affected. It strikes the right balance.
The regulation will mean that your right to privacy will be reinforced. Your personal information will be made more secure. You will have the right to know who collects what data about you. The penalties for companies who refuse to comply will be increased and will serve as a deterrent.
We are serious about privacy and we owe it to those we represent to work harder to protect them. Put simply – if you do not break the law, you should be entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy.
It could not come at a more appropriate and relevant time. Recent allegations of interception of people’s digital communications have shocked us all and further strengthened my resolve to push for the strongest privacy and data protection regimes possible. When I addressed the European Parliament, I quoted a German minister who said: “In a democratic state, security is not an aim in itself but must serve to safeguard liberty”. I endorse that view.
The right to privacy is fundamental. Yes, we have to give the authorities all the necessary tools to fight crime, but the European Parliament must act as the guardian to ensure that citizens’ rights are protected. These scandals have damaged the confidence of both the user and business and we must constantly aim to re-build this trust. New rules on data protection are one way to start.
The data protection package is just one of a series of initiatives aimed at bringing Europe's laws in line with global technological advances. The European Commission has only just proposed a new telecommunications package which, among other things, aims to provide incentives that will push companies to end outrageous mobile phone roaming charges across the European Union once and for all. I will continue to work hard to see that cross border roaming prices no longer remain artificially high and this barrier to a proper functioning single market is finally brought down.
Europe is lagging even further behind when it comes to embracing new mobile technology. The availability and usage of 4G technology in Europe is woeful when compared to the United States, Japan and Korea. Some member states do not have 4G at all and one provider in Malta has only just announced a roll out of 4G here. The new rules on spectrum allocation that the Commission is proposing will hopefully begin to bridge this gap. Malta and Europe cannot be left behind.
We live in fast-moving, ever-changing times. We need an open, secure, free internet. We need to be able to compete with the rest of the world but we first need to have the legislative framework in place that allows us to do so. We need to allow the internet to grow but we have to protect people online and respect their privacy. As a Member of the European Parliament for Malta, I will continue to push these issues forward.
Roberta Metsola is a Nationalist Party MEP
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