ePrivacy is one of the most crucial European privacy and data protection regulations.

I already wrote about ePrivacy, analysing its leaked and the later official draft versions. The ePrivacy regulation is important because it touches a number of influential aspects such as: electronic communication, web technologies, and web browsers. To name just a few, ePrivacy will be responsible for the following practical issues:

• Should internet users have right to confidentiality of their communication? For example, should we aim for a mandatory strong end-to-end encryption as a standard? Or should we allow backdoors?
• Should web users have control over tracking and profiling technologies? Should web users be able to decline being tracked or profiled?
• How should web users be able to express consent for data processing (such as tracking or profiling)?
  ePrivacy is “leveling the field” between ISPs and OTT providers. Should Internet Service Providers be allowed to process information about their users, specifically how the users use the internet? In USA ISPs are about to obtain the right to process and sell the lists of visited sites of their customers.
• Should “offline” users be subject to wifi tracking while walking through a park or a metro station?
• Should ISPs be responsible for security and privacy awareness of their customers?
• Should ISPs and service providers be liable (monetary fines) for the potential negligence?

These are one of the most fundamental questions in security and privacy domains.

ePrivacy Regulation is currently in works at the European Parliament (EP), LIBE Committee. The assigned Rapporteur is Lauristin Marju. In EP-parlance, rapporteur is a person who is generally responsible for the project - at the committee, communicating with external stakeholders, etc.

I am participating in the work on the ePrivacy as a technology expert. I am working with the ePrivacy’s shadow rapporteur of the European Parliament’s largest parliamentary group, European People’s Party (EPP), Michal Boni, MEP.

I’m involved in the research and practical work on the web for very long now - I have both practical industry, research and standardization experience. My PhD was intrinsically related to web privacy - so consequently, to ePrivacy.

I will now have the pleasure and an opportunity to apply my knowledge, skills and experience in technology policy in works on one of the most meaningful European privacy and data protection regulatory frameworks. Personally, I believe that the involvement of people with technology experience can only improve the technology policy, standardisation and regulatory landscapes.