EU Commissioner Renews Call for Serious Fines in Data Privacy Laws 162
DW100 writes "Despite Google being fined €900,000 by Spanish authorities and €150,000 in France for its controversial privacy policies in recent months, an EU commissioner has admitted this is mere 'pocket money' to the company. Instead, a new legal regime that would have seen Google fined $1bn for breaching data protection laws is needed to make U.S. companies fear and respect the law in Europe. 'Is it surprising to anyone,' asked Commissioner Viviane Reding, 'that two whole years after the case emerged, it is still unclear whether Google will amend its privacy policy or not? Europeans need to get serious. And that is why our reform introduces stiff sanctions that can reach as much as 2% of the global annual turnover of a company. In the Google case, that would have meant a fine of EUR 731 million (USD 1 billion). A sum much harder to brush off.'"
Re:Hypocrites (Score:4, Informative)
Worse, most of their spy agencies are just as bad as the NSA.
When did a european spy agency pay the largest security firm in the world to put a back door in their encryption?
There is nobody in the world as bad as the NSA.
Re:Hypocrites (Score:5, Informative)
Yep, the Euro has its own problems and can't keep its own house clean, so some good old fashioned attacks on a US company will generate enough good will to keep them relevant in
the eyes of the people there.
I'm really getting tired of this.
You're just plain wrong.
European companies are fined just as much for this kind of thing.
The difference is: European companies are used to these laws and break them less often, and fines for EU companies are rarely talked about in the US
Most of the time this is not about 'oh, it's a US company, let's hit them' but about 'US companies think they don't need to care about local law, so the break it at need to be fined'.
Re:Here is your citation (Score:5, Informative)
For those keeping track, all of their highest-ever Cartel fines were against EU companies, in one case jointly with a Korean company. If you read the numbers in the PDF they make everything Google and MS have ever paid with seem like a diner tip.
Saint Gobain (France)
Philips (Netherlands) and LG Electronics (Korea)
Deutsche Bank AG (Germany)
F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Switzerland)
Société Générale (France)
Siemens AG (Germany)
Pilkington (UK)
E.ON (Germany)
GDF Suez (France)
Re:LOL screw the EU (Score:4, Informative)
Nothing comes close to Google maps.
HERE (including former Navteq!) has 80% market share in all car navigation systems. The map data is quite good, the routes calculated by here.com are also on par with Google (sometimes slightly better, at other times slightly words). Maybe Google has some more point of interest listed, but this is a matter of market share of the software as a guide rather than only routing. The more people use HERE map data and software as a guide, the more points of interest they will add.
Everyone else likes it and uses it to their advantage. The EU is working against the wishes and against the interests of its citizens.
Unfortunately most people do not understand the significance of privacy and free speech. Ask people if they'd sell the right to speak out on one tiny specific topic for 1000€ annually, and you will see that freedom has a price-tag. Nevertheless I think governments should prevent people from selling their privacy and freedom. (Yes, sounds illogical to force people to stay free. I'm still working on that one :-)