October 23, 2017

The draft proposals will apply to SMS and telephone services and will update the EU’s existing e-privacy rules to cover recently introduced internet-enabled services such as WhatsApp, Skype, Messenger and Facebook.

The amended text constitutes Parliament’s draft negotiating mandate for talks with the Council on the revision of the e-privacy rules. It was passed by 31 votes to 24, with one abstention.

MEPs called for a ban on “cookie walls”, which block access to a website if the person does not agree to his or her data being used by the same site.

Snooping on personal devices via cookies or software updates, or tracking people without their clear approval through public hotspots or Wi-Fi in shopping centres, should also be prohibited, MEPs said.

MEPs also said that “privacy by default” settings should become standard for all software used for electronic communications and service providers must provide for strong encryption.

MEPs also want to set strict limits on data processing and have insisted that data should only be used for the purpose for which the individual has given consent.

So-called “meta-data”, which can give information about numbers of visitors, websites visited, geographical location or the time and date of a call and other sensitive data, should be treated as confidential and never passed on.

The full Parliament will be asked at its plenary session in Strasbourg this week to formally confirm the Committee decision to enter into negotiations with the Council. The Council must agree on its own negotiating mandate before talks can start. To read Parliament’s press release in full, click here.