Industry Urges Review of Inconsistent Sector-Specific Data Protection Rules

April 14, 2016 - Brussels : John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer of the GSMA, today welcomed the final approval of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the launch of the Commission’s review of the e-Privacy Directive:

“The introduction of stronger consumer rights and harmonised rules across Europe under the GDPR is fundamental to building trust and driving the uptake of new digital services by citizens across Europe.

“It is now up to European data privacy regulators to work together to ensure that the GDPR rules are implemented in a way that supports economic growth and improved competitiveness. Regulators will need to exercise particular care in interpreting GDPR requirements – around consent, profiling, pseudonymous data, privacy impact assessments and transfers of data to third countries – to avoid stifling innovation in the digital and mobile sectors.

“All eyes are now on the review of the e-Privacy Directive. The right balance needs to be struck between protecting confidentiality of communications and fostering a market where innovation and investment will flourish. To this end, the GSMA calls on legislators to address the inconsistencies between the existing e-Privacy Directive 2002/58/EC and the GDPR. Consumers should be able to enjoy consistent privacy standards and experiences, irrespective of the technologies, infrastructure, business models and data flows involved or where a company may be located.”