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A US diplomat has warned of a ‘trade war’ if the EU continues with proposals that would give people the right to demand that companies delete their private data.
According to the Register, John Rodgers, who is an economic officer with the US Foreign Service told a conference in Berlin that “things could really explode” if the proposals are put through.
“We have a right to privacy in our Constitution, but this does not mean a fundamental right to data protection,” said Rodgers.
The law is known as ‘the right to be forgotten’ and, according to the Stanford Law Review, derives from a concept in French law called le droit a l’oubli (the right of oblivion), which guarantees criminals who have served their time the right to object to the publication of their previous crimes.
Current EU laws currently ensure that companies only collect and store data that is necessary for their purposes of serving the customer. However, the new proposals would give people the right to demand that this information is immediately deleted upon request.
The proposed law would be implemented across all 27 member states and would apply to all companies that handle the personal data of EU citizens – including those from the US.
