Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, who has clashed with US internet giants such as Google and Facebook over privacy issues, announced the establishment of a new German foundation that would explore data security issues, such as how a high security standard could be used to competitive advantage and develop technology to protect user privacy.
The minister also urged the European Union to include agreements on data protection standards with the United States as it moves to revamp its 15-year-old data protection laws. Legislation is expected to be proposed midyear.
She underlined the importance of increased dialogue with the US to better understand the “different legal cultures” of data protection on opposite banks of the Atlantic.
“For this reason, I believe it is important that we strive to achieve basic ground rules of what constitutes data security,” Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said.
She further noted that since thousands of classified US
documents have landed in the public sphere through WikiLeaks publishing them on the internet that there has been an increased push for regulation in Washington.
“Thanks to WikiLeaks, there has been in increased effort in the United States to reach improved data security standards,” Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said.
Germany has some of the strictest data protection regulations in Europe, and the minister expressed concern that the European law not force Berlin to water them down.
