Europe's digital chief takes on Facebook, Google

Europe’s digital economy chief Guenther Oettinger says the European Union should create a single law to protect the data of citizens across Europe from Google and Facebook. Oettinger, who is Germany’s representative to the European Commission, said in a speech that the technology giants are using “an electronic vacuum cleaner” to collect and sell personal data. Oettinger said: “The Americans are in the lead, they’ve got the data, the business models and so the power." Google and Facebook “will go to the member states where data protection is least developed, come along with their electronic vacuum cleaner, take it to California and sell it,” Oettinger said.