French social networks, portals sign data protection charter

A dozen signatories, including French social networks, blogs, search engines and consumer protection associations, have signed a charter on the right to personal data destruction, an initiative launched a year ago by Nathalie Koscuisko-Morizet, France's secretary of state for forward planning and the development of the digital economy. Companies such as Copainsdavant owner Benchmark Group, Pagejaunes, Skyrock, Trombi, Viadeo and Microsoft France have put their names to the document which states their commitment to put into practice the principles of consent, the right to information and the right of opposition enshrined in law. A virtual complaints office will be established, along with measures to facilitate the closing of accounts, sought respectively by 92 percent and 97 percent of respondents to a May public consultation. Search engines have agreed to no longer hold data that are subject to a request for withdrawal or are found in 'personal spaces'. Le Monde points out that neither Google nor Facebook were signatories, despite the presence of national heavyweights and Microsoft, which controls the Bing search engine and Windows Live instant messaging platform. Koscuisko-Morizet said that the charter was a first step and that discussions were still underway to increase the list of adherents, adding that Google almost came on board last week. The minister said that Facebook had basic judicial validation issues, while Google's reticence is linked to questions of territoriality and data transfers outside the EU.