Draft of the E-Privacy Directive to be released in September

The Guardian just reported that the European Commission is about to release an update of the draft of the E-Privacy Directive in September.

This draft will probably inlcude that Apps like Skype and WhatsApp be treated the same in terms of the privacy regulations as SMS text messages and both mobile and landline calls. According to Jan Philipp Albrecht, Green MEP, this is due to the fact that “It was obvious that there needs to be an adjustment to the reality of today” he went on that “We see telecoms providers being replaced and those companies who seek to replace them need to be treated in the same way.” Furthermore, he mentioned that a focus of the new law lies in upholding strong encryption.

However, there are critics raising concerns as the law might decrease economic innovation and that it is “well-nigh impossible” to fit older legislation in newer technology.