Marketers Could Be Hit by Tough New Data Laws for EU

The battle between big data and individual privacy will be put in the spotlight on Oct. 21 when the European Parliament votes on the introduction of the harsh new Data Protection Regulation. Organizations -- including the World Federation of Advertisers and the Industry Coalition for Data Protection (a collection of trade bodies that includes the WFA and the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU) -- have been furiously lobbying ahead of the vote, hoping for a lighter-touch regime to protect the interests of business.

Malte Lohan, director of public affairs at the WFA, said, "The European Parliament wants to make the toughest privacy law the world has ever seen. The EU is championing the rights of citizens, but it's not that straightforward -- this could undermine the digital economy." The first crucial issue is around the definition of personal data. The second centers on the definition of consent. The vote by the European Parliament is not the final stage in the process, but it is a key step in determining the outcome. Once approved, the regulation will be put to the European Council, where individual countries get to have their say, bringing in another layer of complexity as different countries have very different approaches to privacy.