Europe's data protection chief urges Privacy by Design

Hustinx: Data protection should be incorporated into ICTs from their inception

Europe's data protection supervisor has urged the European Commission (EC) to incorporate into existing data protection laws the idea that data protection and privacy should be integrated into new technologies from the very start.

Peter Hustinx warned in an official opinion released yesterday that, although new information and communication technologies (ICTs) offer great benefits, they also carry new risks.

He argued that the benefits of technology can only be realised if "they are able to generate trust".

"Such trust will only be secured if ICTs are reliable, secure and under individuals' control, and if the protection of their personal data and privacy is guaranteed," he said.

"To significantly minimise the risks, and to secure users' willingness to rely on ICTs, it is crucial to integrate data protection and privacy at a practical level from the very inception of new ICTs.

"This need for a 'Privacy by Design' approach should be reflected in the European Union data protection legal framework at different levels of laws and policy making."

Hustinx recommended that the EC also consider legislation to provide mandatory privacy by default on social networks and browsers.