ROME, June 24 /PRNewswire/ --

The Italian Institute for Privacy (www.istitutoitalianoprivacy.it/en/), a public policy think tank focused on improving privacy protection in the digital age urges the European Parliament to enhance protection of personal privacy online for all Europeans.

Today, the Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament will vote on a proposal from the European Commission that aims to strengthen consumer data protection online in the European Union.

"The European Parliament must take greater steps to protect the personal data of Europeans," said Luca Bolognini, the president of the Italian Institute for Privacy. "While the Commission's proposal is a good start, stronger privacy protections are necessary."

The Institute urges European policy makers to support policies that place the protection of people's privacy online first by affirming commitment to three principles: Consumer Privacy Protection; Meaningful Consumer Consent; and Awareness and Disclosure.

Recently, the Article 29 Working Party, composed of Data Protection Authorities of the EU Member States and chaired by the European Commission, issued a landmark report that recommended that the storage length of personal data that can be reasonably justified by search engines be limited to no more than six months. "The Institute urges support for the recommendations of the Article 29 Working Party which provide Europeans' with stronger privacy protections," said Bolognini.

The Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament will review a proposal by the European Commission to amend Directive 2002/22/EC on universal service and users' rights relating to electronic communications networks, Directive 2002/58/EC concerning the processing on personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector, and Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 on consumer protection cooperation.

About The Italian Institute for Privacy

The Italian Privacy Institute, based in Rome, works to ensure that Italian and European Internet users are properly protected against invasions of their personal privacy. We conduct our analyses and formulate our policy proposals based on the following principles: Privacy is a basic human right. Without privacy, citizens are not fully free to search for information, conduct business, and participate in the public debate online; The Internet industry (i.e. service providers, search engines, and others) has a responsibility to ensure the privacy of their customers; Governments have a responsibility to ensure the privacy of its citizens, including properly safeguarding personal information in public databases; and Governments should not be able to infringe on privacy without proper cause and due process. To learn more about The Italian Institute for Privacy, visit www.istitutoitalianoprivacy.it/en/.

Web site: http://www.istitutoitalianoprivacy.it/en/

Luca Bolognini, The Italian Institute for Privacy, (Italian and English) +39-328-3205142, lucabolognini@istitutoitalianoprivacy.it