Information Society Watch

2006, Briana N. Godbey, IS-Journal

Privacy standards are the focus of this article, and it first addresses the basic aspects of the three main data protection sources in the European Union: the EU privacy directives, the European Council on Cybercrime and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the European Council on Cybercrime. This article also addresses specific legislation enacting data protection measures in the United Kingdom and the United States, and finally, it addresses some of the concerns associated with increased data protection. In an age where individuals communicate, buy and sell goods electronically, and post information on the Internet at a global level, there is an increased difficulty of regulating access to that private information. The EU implemented its original privacy directive in 1997 and since that time, every EU Member State has enacted some form of privacy legislation. EU Member States require that any state or entity seeking access to the information of their citizens must have comparable data protection standards in place. Therefore, in an effort to increase trade opportunities, several non-EU states have enacted such legislation as well (Adapted from author).

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