Smart meters will enable massive data collection that can track...
Smart meters will enable massive data collection that can track what members of a household do in their own home, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) said Monday. Combining the data with information from other sources could pave the way…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
for extensive data mining, it said. Patterns and profiles could be used for other purposes such as marketing, advertising and price discrimination by third parties, it said. The EDPS welcomed the European Commission’s plan to create a template for a data protection impact assessment. But the office said it regrets that the EC didn’t offer more specific, comprehensive and practical guidance in its recommendation on preparations for the rollout of smart metering systems. Assistant EDPS Supervisor Giovanni Butarelli urged the EC to consider whether further legislation is needed at the EU level to ensure adequate protection of personal data in smart metering systems, including at least a mandatory requirement that data controllers carry out data protection impact assessments and have to notify individuals of personal data breaches. The EDPS opinion also recommended: (1) More guidance on the legal basis of the data processing and the choices available to data subjects, including on frequency of meter readings. (2) Mandatory use of privacy-enhancing technologies and other best available techniques for minimizing data collection. (3) More guidance on data retention periods. (4) Giving consumers direct access to their energy usage data and disclosing to them their individual profiles and the logic of any algorithms used for data mining and information on remote on/off functions.