It's time for a European Data Charter for the management of data in the digital age which should reflect fundamental rights and European Union values.
The following proposal for a European Data Charter has been submitted to the Conference on the Future of Europe:
https://futureu.europa.eu/processes/Digital/f/15/proposals/102598
Guiding principles:
- Access to information is a human right;
- Legal basis for the ethical use of trustworthy data;
- Citizens will have the right to decide what to do with their data;
- Fast reliable access to relevant data will enable the digital empowerment of Europe's citizens;
- Semantic standards and interoperability requirements will facilitate the sharing and reuse of data;
- The free movement of data will simplify cross-border data exchanges;
- A general once-only principle will underpin all digital services;
- EU values will determine the generation, collection, processing, sharing, reuse, sale, surveillance, protection and preservation of personal and non-personal data;
- New legal and institutional safeguards will ensure a trusted ecosystem of data and digital services;
- Data governance will aim to deliver the benefits of data equitably for all.
A European Data Charter would send a strong message that Europe has laid the foundations for a future where data is considered a public good and citizens’ digital rights are protected, while maximising the potential of data to create: a safer, more just society; new and improved user-centric digital public services; and a sustainable, resilient economy.
Readers can endorse it if they are in agreement.