E-privacy regulation 2019: you must know this

The European Union will be busy in 2019 with a new privacy law: the e-Privacy Regulation (ePV). This new law is going to have a major impact on how we communicate online and what data must be collected and stored. This is what you need to know about the new regulation.

Why the e-Privacy Regulation?

A while ago we were confronted with the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG). The ePV goes even further.

Thanks to the AVG, we now have a jumble of cookie notifications. On one website you simply will not get access if you do not accept the cookies and on the other it is a notification message. Still other websites do it the 'right' way: the visitor decides for himself which cookies are placed and which data is collected. Among other things, the new law will remedy that situation.

What does the e-Privacy Regulation regulate?

The E-Privacy Regulation had existed for a while as a guideline, but now it is really becoming a regulation. Note: it is a European law, so many parties have to deal with it. This immediately causes a delay: the final legal texts will not be ready until 2020.

The new law will regulate how and whether the cookie wall may still be used. In addition, the regulation regulates the use of data for commercial purposes. It is also about 'Device Fingerprinting' and the minimum requirements of 'Privacy by Design': the principle that privacy when designing new products, services and processes.
It all does not sound hopeful for the marketer. Especially in the field of cookies, which are still used to use target marketing, there is commotion: there is probably little data to collect, which means that targeting can be less effective. That automatically means a poorer conversion.

New rules regarding cookies will apply again.

Does this law mean the death blow to online marketing?

Good to know: this law is primarily intended to remove confusion. For example, people now click on 'agree' with a cookie report. Ask them afterwards what they agreed to and they have no idea. According to the European Union, that situation must be prevented.

Cookies are not intended to display the spy to the visitor. Cookies are actually meant to increase the user experience. Just think of digital keys that remember passwords. When it comes to advertising, it is also better if you see advertising for a shoe store as a shoe freak than for baby food, even though you are far from thinking about children.

The same applies to location facilities: it is handy that you can immediately find a gas station nearby with an empty tank. And on vacation you want to be able to find a nice coffee place in the area.

Unfortunately, the reflex of policy makers is often that they want to ban and abolish. These decisions are often based on ignorance or fear. There is panic about privacy.

Panic about cookies

The new ePV seems to have arisen mainly from panic to be followed and from panic about cookies. The problem is that people do not understand cookies properly. Legislation is needed to prevent excessive data collection, but prohibiting is going too far.

What 2019 will bring us with this law remains to be seen. What is clear is that it will cause a lot of commotion. We have seen that with the AVG.