Online Privacy Law (2017 Update)

In 2012, the Law Library of Congress issued two reports reviewing how the right to personal data protection and the right to privacy on the web are regulated by the European Union and in twelve individual countries with highly developed digital infrastructures. The reports looked at European Union directives and regulations and the domestic laws of a number of jurisdictions both within and outside of the EU. This report updates the prior reports with new legal developments through December 2017. Since 2012, many reforms in the field of online privacy have been initiated and implemented in all the jurisdictions previously surveyed. The EU revised its entire legislative framework for the protection of personal data. The EU General Data Protection Regulation entered into force and new ePrivacy legislation has been proposed. As of May 2018, European norms will become directly applicable in the Member States, although derogations for national legislation are possible in certain areas.