Collection and control of massive amounts of personal...

Collection and control of massive amounts of personal data are a source of market power for the world’s biggest Internet players, requiring closer interaction among different regulators, said the European Data Protection Supervisor Wednesday. EDPS said personal data has become a form of payment for so-called “free” online services, and is a valuable asset for a growing number of companies doing business in the EU. EDPS Peter Hustinx’s preliminary opinion on privacy and competitiveness in the age of big data: The interplay between data protection, competition law and consumer protection (http://bit.ly/1l47wUo) said there’s little dialogue among policy makers and experts in those fields, despite many sectors of the economy looking to exploit big data. The opinion noted convergences and tensions in the different areas of law against the evolution of big data, including: (1) The need for a better understanding of the massive growth in services which require payment in the form of personal information from customers. (2) The need for a definition of consumer harm in the enforcement of competition rules, in markets where powerful players may refuse access to personal data and have confusing privacy policies. (3) How closer dialogue among regulators and experts on the rules and policies in data protection, antitrust and consumer protection could give consumers more choice of services and greater control over their data. The EDPS will host a June 2 workshop in Brussels for experts and privacy practitioners from the EU and U.S., the office said. EDPS preliminary opinions don’t respond to a specific proposal from the European Commission but are intended to stimulate debate on how EU rules apply to a fast-expanding sector of the economy, it noted.