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[MUSIC]
Did you know that since last month, you probably spent 60 hours
online, logged on about 57 times, and visited more than 2,000 web pages?
And since you started this video, more than 10 million emails have been sent.
Of course, you probably didn't even notice it.
The Internet is now completely integrated to our daily lives.
Everyone can find what he needs for any
kind of activity, such as emailing, reading news,
online banking, shopping, social networking.
On the whole, there are 2 billion Internet users in
the world today, 70% of which use it everyday.
There is no doubt that the
Internet has revolutionized our interaction and communication
with the world, much like the invention of the printing press or the telegraph.
But what is exactly at stake in this revolutionary phenomenon?
The Googlization of the world of which we are both actors and objects,
has created a system whose impact might be bigger than we understand.
So much of the data and information we disclose on
our web pages are far from being totally controlled by us,
nor are they lost or deleted.
>> Have you ever heard of big data? Well that's what this is about.
While individual pieces of information are
not very valuable, when compiling and analyzing
the aggregates, companies can study
our daily behaviors today to better anticipate
our needs for tomorrow. But big data also has a downside.
With the growing impact of the internet on our lives
comes an increasingly amount of personal data we disclose online.
Some of which we wouldn't normally agree
to share with anyone but our closest friend.
Without even realizing, tracking technologies often keep a
precise record of when, and to whom you email,
what you read, what you listen to and
watch, what you buy and what you're interested in.
This information provides a gold mine for the large companies that control the data.
And can define then entire economic and mechanic strategies around it.
Moreover, as the recent NSA spying revelations in
the United States have shown, police and security agencies
of many countries are accessing and examining data relating
to our communications in the name of national security.
Should our enjoyment of online privacy be sacrificed in favor of our
economic or security concerns?
>> EU institutions have tried to address these issues.
On the one hand, in 1995, the EU passed a data protection directive that prohibits
EU companies from crunching your data unless they
do it in a transparent and legitimate way.
On the other hand, in response to the realities of our
post-9/11 world, the EU passed in 2006 a data retention directive that
requires member states to ensure that all electronic and
telephone communication data is retained and stored for up to
two years which can be momentarily accessed by police and
security agencies if needed for the interest of public safety.
Does this directive respect individual fundamental rights of privacy?
Does it hinder individual freedom of expression
and even the right to free movement?
All of these questions are important. Not just because
they affect how we live our lives.
But because they are all being deliberated by European leaders as we speak.
A proposal to reform the data protection directive
is currently being considered by the European Parliament.
But the European leaders are stuck in
debate, leaving the future of data protection uncertain.
The data retention directive is being
challenged by national courts as violation
of fundamental rights across the continent,
and the issue has just been heard
in front of the European Court of Justice.
Its Advocate General has given his opinion that the
program of massive data collection does not comply with
fundamental right to privacy, but as to how the
actual court may rule, well, all bets are off.
>> Our project involves meeting with European public leaders
and professionals in order to understand more clearly what the
reality of data protection is and what the stakes
are, and then to react with our own policy proposals.
But, since the right to privacy is a matter of public interest, we
need to build our work through the opinions and voices of European citizens.
>> What do they want from the EU
regarding their fundamental rights, what are their concerns
and moreover, how do they expect to be
protected from outsiders intrusion in their digital life.
>> Because you're concerned as much as anyone else, we need your help.
Join this project and help ensure that the
European Union leaders currently debating these issues understand
how you feel about the increasing commercial
and security use of your personal data.
>> Thank you.
[BLANK_AUDIO]