EU law should force digital equipment manufacturers to include in devices an easy, free way to delete all personal data and should ban the sale of second hand goods that have not been properly wiped, the European privacy watchdog has said.
The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) Peter Hustinx regulates EU organisations’ privacy practices and advises on policy and legislation. He has published an opinion on planned changes to EU waste laws.
Hustinx said that the European Commission should have considered the data protection and privacy risks of the re-use and dumping of electronic goods right from the outset of its plan to revise waste laws.
The Commission has said it will revise the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive to solve technical, administrative and legal problems in the law, which forces producers and retailers of electronic goods to take more responsibility for their disposal and recycling.
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