Open Rights Group calls on UK government to end opposition to stronger European privacy rights

Digital campaigners, the Open Rights Group, welcome today’s vote in the European Parliament to approve a Regulation on data protection. The Regulation will strengthen European citizens’ rights over their data.

Executive Director Jim Killock said:

‘Today’s vote is an important step in giving citizens more rights over the personal data that companies hold about them. It is now time to ensure that this directive is agreed by the European Council and EU member states. The UK government has opposed the proposals in an attempt to appease the anti-European elements in the Conservative party. Internal political battles with UKIP should not be put before better data privacy for British citizens.’

The provisions should mean that:

Citizens have the right to get hold of electronic copies of their data

Citizens will also be able to request companies delete personal data that they hold

Citizens can object to the automated processing of their data for profiling

Companies who breach their customers’ privacy will face more significant fines of up to 5 percent of a company’s annual turnover

To arrange interviews with ORG experts, please contact Pam Cowburn, Communications Director, Open Rights Group: 07749785932, pam@openrightsgroup.org