The European Parliament and Council have revised the ePrivacy Directive, which will implemented by the member states within eighteen months. The new provisions will bring improvements in the protection of the privacy and personal data of all Europeans active in the online environment. The improvements relate to security breaches, spyware, cookies, spam, and enforcement of rules. The European Data Protection Supervisor cooperated closely with the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission on the legislative work leading to the final text. The changes introduced include a framework for mandatory notification of personal data breaches. Any communications provider or ISP involved in individuals' personal data being compromised must inform them if the breach is likely to adversely affect them. The notification will include recommended measures to avoid or reduce the risks. The revised ePrivacy Directive also includes reinforced protection against interception of users' communications. Under the new directive users should be offered better information and ways to control whether they want cookies stored in their terminal equipment. It enables users negatively affected by spam, including ISPs, to bring effective legal proceedings against spammers. The directive will also strengthen enforcement powers for national data protection authorities.

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