Web users to be given greater control of personal data

People will have easier access to the data held on them by companies, can have it removed from the web and not have it used to profile them for advertising and other purposes under an agreement reached by EU ministers.

It should be more difficult too for companies and individuals to use a person’s data to produce a profile of for instance their health, their performance at work, their economic situation, and their personal preferences.

Existing rules are years out of date and the proposed new law should allow people to better control what happens to their personal data but at the same time allow businesses to make the most of the opportunities offered by the internet by streamlining regulations.