European Commission releases proposal for new data rules

On Feb. 23, 2022, the European Commission published its proposal for new data rules: the "Data Act." With these new rules, the Commission aims to make trade in the digital world fairer and create new opportunities for data-driven innovation. The rules address the legal, economic and technical problems that currently cause less use of data.

The proposed data regulation mentions the following:

1. Users of devices connected to the internet should have access to the data that is/was collected by the device. Currently, this data is only used by manufacturers of the devices, but the new rules would allow users to share their data with other parties to enable new services.
2. SMEs should be protected from unfair data-sharing contracts. The provisions particularly target parties with stronger bargaining power. The Commission also wants to develop a standard contract for this.
3. Governments should be able to access companies' data when necessary for specific public interest purposes. This could include general emergencies, such as floods and forest fires. This data can be used to respond more quickly to these circumstances.
4. Consumers should be able to switch data processing services and be protected from unlawful data transfers.

Thus, this proposal allows consumers and businesses to access and use the data collected by their devices. Much attention is paid here to the sharing of data with third-party services. For companies and manufacturers, the proposal means that more data will become accessible, creating a larger data market. This will encourage manufacturers to develop better services and products. We will closely monitor developments regarding the data regulation. Would you like to know more about the proposal? Please feel free to contact us.