The EU's privacy watchdog has called for an expansion in the ePrivacy Directive to cover more types of communication services and providers. In its opinion submitted for the European Commission's review of the directive, the EDPS said the EU should "preserve and not reduce" the protection offered by the current ePrivacy Directive, while harmonising some provisions to "complement" the recently passed General Data Protection Regulation.
The ePrivacy Directive outlines personal data and consumer protection regulations specifically for the electronic communications sector. Telecom operators have long called for it to be abolished, saying it is an excessive burden for the sector given the general data protection legislation in the EU. Furthermore, OTT communication service providers are not subject to the provisions of the ePrivacy directive.
The EDPS said that the scope of new ePrivacy rules needs to be broad enough to cover all forms of electronic communications, irrespective of network or service used, and not only those offered by traditional telephone companies and internet service providers. Individuals should have the same level of protection for all types of communication, including VoIP, mobile messaging apps and IoT applications, according to the EDPS. The updated rules should also ensure that the confidentiality of users is protected on all publicly accessible networks, including Wi-Fi services in hotels, coffee shops, shops, airports and networks offered by hospitals to patients, universities to students, and hotspots created by public administrations.
The European Commission's public consultation on the ePrivacy directive ended on 05 July.
