Tech industry calls for European Commission to scrap cookie law
A group of 12 technology and communications trade bodies has called for the EU's "cookie law" to be repealed. The European Commission had begun an overhaul of the ePrivacy Directive and had solicited feedback, but the coalition has now called for it to be scrapped. Represented in the coalition is BT, Telefonica, Orange, T-Mobile, TalkTalk, Vodafone, Three, Netflix, eBay, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple among others. Although some of the trade bodies previously lobbied against provisions in the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the coalition now says that GDPR should provide the standard set of rules for high-level data protection and questions the need for a separate ePrivacy Directive.

A massive coalition of tech and telco companies have called for the EU’s so-called cookie law to be repealed.

Ars reported yesterday that the European Commission was working to overhaul the current ePrivacy Directive, and had held a public consultation soliciting feedback. But a group of 12 trade bodies has now called for it to be scrapped altogether. The coalition includes the European Telecommunications and Network Operators association (ETNO), the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA), the GSMA representing mobile operators, the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), IAB, the interactive advertising bureau, and DigitalEurope.

“We believe that simplifying and streamlining regulation will benefit consumers by ensuring they are provided with a simple, consistent, and meaningful set of rules designed to protect their personal data," said the group. "At the same time, it will encourage innovation across the digital value chain and drive new growth and social opportunities. This is critical at a time when digital companies are striving to launch new innovative services and working to build a 5G Europe."

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The coalition brings together telco operators (including BT, Telefonica, Orange, T-Mobile, TalkTalk, Vodafone, and Three), online service providers (such as Netflix, Fastnet, eBay, Facebook, Foursquare, Google, Linkedin, Dropbox, Amazon, and Paypal), hardware manufacturers (amongst them, Microsoft, Apple, Blackberry, and Huawei), and online publishers.

Although some of the trade bodies had lobbied against many of the provisions in the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the coalition now says that the GDPR should be the standard for “a comprehensive set of horizontal rules ensuring high levels of data protection” and questioned whether there was any need for a separate ePrivacy Directive. “Sector-specific rules on privacy are no longer able to address the challenges of the digital age,” said the group.

The ePrivacy Directive also covers issues relating to spam and itemised billing. It does not currently apply to so-called over the top (OTT) service providers, but the Commission consultation implies that it may well do so following the revamp.

The industry coalition wants the Commission to get rid of any overlapping provisions with the GDPR, and to move any other regulatory requirements of the ePrivacy Directive to “more appropriate legal instruments,” such as consumer protection rules under the Telecoms Framework.