European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Questions and Answers - Data protection reform package

European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Questions and Answers - Data protection reform package

The data protection reform package which entered into force in May 2016 and will be applicable as of May 2018 includes the General Data Protection Regulation ("Regulation") and the Data Protection Directive for the police and criminal justice sector.
The reform is an essential step to strengthening citizens' fundamental rights in the digital age and facilitating business by simplifying rules for companies in the Digital Single Market.

What will change under the General Data Protection Regulation?

The Regulation updates and modernises the principles enshrined in the 1995 Data Protection Directive to guarantee privacy rights. It focuses on:

• reinforcing individuals' rights;
• strengthening the EU internal market;
• ensuring stronger enforcement of the rules;
• streamlining international transfers of personal data and;
• setting global data protection standards.

The changes will give people more control over their personal data and make it easier to access it. They are designed to make sure that people's personal information is protected – no matter where it is sent, processed or stored – even outside the EU, as may often be the case on the internet. (...)