New plans to govern the use of data by companies like Google and Facebook are to be introduced to control the availability of information to advertising companies. Members of the European Parliament are looking at ways to limit their access to this data, and the reform is being led by a German Member of European Parliament, Jan Philipp Albrecht. He wants users to be able to make a conscious decision to allow companies to use their data, or refuse to allow it to be used.
Google and Facebook use data gathered from users to improve the user experience on search engines and social media. However, they were also among the first to profit from its use. Sectors which rely on this data from users, along with Facebook and Google, are protesting against the restrictions. A plan will be introduced shortly by Albrecht to ensure that data to be sold to advertisers is controlled by the users of social media sites and search engines. The new rules could have an impact on the SEO campaigns of a number of companies, especially those who rely on this information. The European Commission issued proposals for improved data protection in January 2012 and these new plans build on that.
The head of Facebook’s EU policy, Erika Mann, said:
“We are concerned that some aspects of the report do not support a flourishing European digital single market and the reality of innovation on the internet.”
Google and Facebook both play an integral role in the search engine optimisation of company websites.
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