Our Take: the Agreement on the European Commission's EU Data Protection Reform
EU Data Protection Reform is a Privacy Policy Game Changer
Big news out of Brussels earlier this week: The European Commission has finally completed its EU Data Protection Reform process. According to the official statement, the reform “will allow people to regain control of their personal data. Two-thirds of Europeans (67%), according to a recent Eurobarometer survey, stated they are concerned about not having complete control over the information they provide online. Seven Europeans out of ten worry about the potential use that companies may make of the information disclosed. The data protection reform will strengthen the right to data protection, which is a fundamental right in the EU, and allow them to have trust when they give their personal data.”
Though much is yet to be revealed, the new reform means that organizations and consumers involved in the “digital single market” will now have a common standard for data protection with the agreed General Data Protection Regulation. From our perspective, the reform points to ForgeRock as a key enabler of strengthened data protection goals.
With ForgeRock, organizations can build consent-by-design solutions that build both safeguards and technical standardization into every single one of their offerings across a digital ecosystem. By leveraging ForgeRock's support for the User-Managed Access (UMA) standard, organizations can unlock new data potential, robustly comply with legal requirements for user consent well into the future, and foster customer trust by giving users control of their data. Customers can conveniently update their sharing preferences across an entire digital ecosystem from a central console, selectively share personal data -- and even withdraw that consent at will.
Ultimately, we believe that the new framework will enable the CPO and CMO of an organization to find common ground. This way, customers can trust that their privacy and data will be protected, while simultaneously enjoying the benefits of sharing and controlling the flow of data for their own personal benefit.
For more context, the International Business Times has a good overview of how the reforms are likely to play out in the years ahead. Also, note that the language in the red box in the image above is verbatim from the legal proposal document (PDF): Proposal for General Data Protection Regulation. I expect to be writing a lot more about the GDPR more in the weeks and months to come.
