Privacy & Information Security Law Blog

On October 5, 2010, the Commission for Economic Affairs of the French National Assembly introduced a Resolution (the “Resolution”) to support the International Standards on the Protection of Personal Data and Privacy adopted in Madrid on November 5, 2009, at the 31st International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (also known as the “Madrid Resolution”).

The Resolution states: “the right to privacy is a fundamental value in our society; the development of information and communication systems must be contained in order to prevent uses of personal data which threaten this right.

Globalization renders inefficient the enactment to this end only of national or European legislation; binding international standards are therefore necessary.

(…) the Madrid Resolution (…) provides a balanced proposal between respect for different national traditions and the need for a common standard.”

If adopted, the French National Assembly would officially state its support for the Madrid Resolution, in the hope that all measures would be taken to promote and create an international convention on the right to privacy and the protection of personal data.  The institutions of the European Union and its Member States (in particular those nations’ legislative bodies) are invited to join this initiative.