America’s big technology companies are negotiating the details of a new privacy system called “Do Not Track,” to let people shield their personal data on websites. There’s no deal yet, but American companies are feeling the pressure from Europe. “Enforcement actions against them will be taken,” said European Privacy Regulator, Jacob Kohnstamm. “Not only should people be allowed to block websites from collecting and keeping their data, but that should be the default setting – on European browsers, at least.” Europeans have sincere cultural reasons for tougher privacy rules and many view privacy as a potentially unequal relationship. However, according to privacy law expert Jane Winn, increased legislation is the last thing American companies want, especially in a global data-collection industry that they dominate – at least for now. If European rules become the global standard, then European companies may not be far behind.
