The EU Commission has confirmed its desire to bring in more regulation for online messaging services such as WhatsApp and Skype in an attempt to safeguard users’ privacy. Richard Stiennon, Chief Strategy Officer, Blancco Technology Group commented below.
Richard Stiennon, Chief Strategy Officer at Blancco Technology Group:
“Hot on the heels of the EU GDPR and Privacy Shield, this move yet again highlights the gulf between European and US attitudes towards regulating the internet. However, even in North America, attitudes to privacy and security are slowly evolving.
For services like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Skype, it’s inevitable that a combination of consumer demand, education and regulation will lead to stronger privacy rules being implemented. I just wish we could speed up the process. At the moment, the majority of the conversation is taking place around encryption. While that is important, it won’t protect users whose phone or tablet has been physically lost or stolen. Just as important is the requirement for mandated data erasure so that users of these services can truly exercise their ‘right to be forgotten’.”
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