EU needs privacy regulation after NSA ‘wake-up call,’ Parliament President says

Fueled by recent revelations about US surveillance, Europe is determined to move forward with its privacy-enhancing regulation, European Union Parliament President Martin Schulz said.

Europe must “press on determinedly” with the update to its data protection legislation after the “wake-up call” about US surveillance, Schulz said in a speech to the European Council. Schulz cited recent reports about US surveillance of European officials and citizens. “We must ensure that our citizens’ fundamental rights are protected on the Internet … by ensuring that companies from the USA and other countries which offer services in the EU are subject to our rules,” he said. The legislation would require American companies that process European users’ data to get permission before the companies share data with third parties, including government entities. Companies that share user data without getting authorization from the relevant country’s data protection authority – including sharing user data with a US intelligence agency – would face penalties of at least 100 million euros.