Parliamentary questions

30 August 2013

Question for written answer - to the Commission

Subject:  Breaches of EU citizens' privacy           

In the past couple of months, countless media reports have been made regarding frequent breaches of privacy against users of US Internet services such as Google and Facebook, which automatically includes a significant number of EU citizens.

The problem has arisen as a result of the difference between the US and European understanding of privacy. While in the US monitoring is carried out regardless of whether or not one is suspected of dealing with illegal activities, the EU allows monitoring only where, along with a court order, the individual concerned is suspected of breaking the law or of compromising the security of EU Member States.

Bearing this in mind, will the Commission clarify what it intends to do in order to protect the privacy of EU citizens who use these US online services?