Telecoms Package IMCO Recommandation for Second Reading

Telecoms Package: Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Recommandation for Second Reading − 2009-04-07

Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2002/22/EC on universal service and users' rights relating to electronic communications networks, Directive 2002/58/EC concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector and Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 on consumer protection cooperation (COD/2007/0248)

Article 20
Article 20 − Contracts

1. Member States shall ensure that, when subscribing to services providing connection to a public communications network and/or publicly available electronic communications services, consumers, and other end-users so requesting, have a right to a contract with an undertaking or undertakings providing such connection and/or services. The contract shall specify in a clear, comprehensive and easily accessible form at least:

(a) the identity and address of the undertaking;

(b) the services provided, including in particular,

- whether or not access to emergency services and caller location information is being provided, and/or any limitations on the provision of emergency services under Article 26,

- information on any other conditions limiting access to and/or use of services and applications, where such conditions are allowed under national law in accordance with Community law,

- the minimum service quality levels offered, namely the time for the initial connection and, where appropriate, other quality of service parameters, as defined by the national regulatory authorities,

- information on any procedures put in place by the undertaking to measure and shape traffic so as to avoid filling or overfilling a network link and on how those procedures could impact on service quality,

- the types of maintenance service offered and customer support services provided, as well as the means of contacting these services,

- any restrictions imposed by the provider on the use of terminal equipment supplied;

(c) where an obligation exists under Article 25, the subscriber's options as to whether or not to include his or her personal data in a directory, and the data concerned;

(d) details of prices and tariffs, the means by which up-to-date information on all applicable tariffs and maintenance charges may be obtained, payment methods offered and any differences in costs due to payment method;

(e) the duration of the contract and the conditions for renewal and termination of services and of the contract, including:

- any minimum usage required to benefit from promotional terms,

- any charges related to portability of numbers and other identifiers,

- any charges due on termination of the contract, including cost recovery with respect to terminal equipment;

(f) any compensation and the refund arrangements which apply if contracted service quality levels are not met;

(g) the means of initiating procedures for the settlement of disputes in accordance with Article 34;

(h) the type of action that might be taken by the undertaking providing connection to a public communications network and/or publicly available electronic communications services in reaction to security or integrity incidents or threats and vulnerabilities, as well as any compensation arrangements which apply if security or integrity incidents occur.

Member States may also require that the contract include any information which may be provided by the relevant public authorities for this purpose on the use of electronic communications networks and services to engage in unlawful activities or to disseminate harmful content, and on the means of protection against risks to personal security, privacy and personal data, referred to in Article 21(4)(a) and relevant to the service provided.

2. Member States shall ensure that subscribers have a right to withdraw from their contract without penalty upon notice of modification to the contractual conditions proposed by the undertakings providing electronic communications networks and/or services. Subscribers shall be given adequate notice, not shorter than one month, of any such modification, and shall be informed at the same time of their right to withdraw, without penalty, from their contract if they do not accept the new conditions. Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities are able to specify the format of such notifications.

''(20) In order to address public interest issues with respect to the use of communications services and to encourage protection of the rights and freedoms of others, the relevant national authorities should be able to produce and have disseminated, with the aid of providers, public interest information related to the use of communications services. This information could include public interest information regarding copyright infringement, other unlawful uses and the dissemination of harmful content, and advice and means of protection against risks to personal security, which may for example arise from disclosure of personal information in certain circumstances, as well as risks to privacy and personal data. The information could be coordinated by way of the cooperation procedure established in Article 33(3) of Directive 2002/22/EC (Universal Service Directive). Such public interest information should be updated whenever necessary and should be presented in easily comprehensible printed and electronic formats, as determined by each Member State, and on national public authority websites. National regulatory authorities should be able to oblige providers to disseminate this standardised information to all their customers in a manner deemed appropriate by the national regulatory authorities. When required by Member States, the information should also be included in contracts.''

''(22) End-users should decide what content they require to be able to send and receive, and which services, applications, hardware and software they require to use for such purposes, without prejudice to the need to preserve the integrity and security of networks and services. A competitive market with transparent offerings as provided for in Directive 2002/22/EC should ensure that end-users are able to access and distribute any content and to use any applications and/or services of their choice, as provided for in Article 8 of Directive 2002/21/EC. Given the increasing importance of electronic communications for consumers and businesses, users should in any case be fully informed of any limitations imposed on the use of electronic communications services by the service and/or network provider. Such information should, at the option of the provider, specify the type of content, application or service concerned, individual applications or services, or both. Depending on the technology used and the type of limitation, such limitations may require user consent under Directive 2002/58/EC.''

''(23) In the absence of relevant rules of Community law, content, applications and services are deemed lawful or harmful in accordance with national substantive and procedural law. It is a task for the Member States, not for providers of electronic communications networks or services, to decide, in accordance with due process, whether content, applications or services are lawful or harmful. The Framework Directive and the Specific Directives are without prejudice to Directive 2000/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2000 on certain legal aspects of information society services, in particular electronic commerce, in the Internal Market (Directive on electronic commerce)(OJ L 178, 17.7.2000, p. 1.), which, inter alia, contains a "mere conduit" rule for intermediary service providers, as defined therein.''

Article 21
Article 21 − Transparency and publication of information

1. Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities are able to oblige undertakings providing public electronic communications network and/or publicly available electronic communications services to publish transparent, comparable, adequate and up-to-date information on applicable prices and tariffs, any charges due on termination of a contract and standard terms and conditions in respect of access to, and use of, services provided by them to end-users and consumers in accordance with Annex II. Such information shall be published in a clear, comprehensive and easily accessible form. National regulatory authorities may specify additional requirements regarding the form in which such information is to be published.

2. National regulatory authorities shall encourage the provision of comparable information to enable end-users and consumers to make an independent evaluation of the cost of alternative usage patterns, for instance by means of interactive guides or similar techniques. Where such facilities are not available on the market free of charge or at a reasonable price, Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities are able to make such guides or techniques available themselves or through third party procurement. Third parties shall have a right to use, free of charge, the information published by undertakings providing electronic communications networks and/or publicly available electronic communications services for the purposes of selling or making available such interactive guides or similar techniques.

3. Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities are able to oblige undertakings providing public electronic communications network and/or publicly available electronic communications services to inter alia:

(a) provide applicable tariff information to subscribers regarding any number or service subject to particular pricing conditions; with respect to individual categories of services, national regulatory authorities may require such information to be provided immediately prior to connecting the call;

(aa) regularly remind subscribers of access conditions regarding emergency services or caller location information in the service to which they have subscribed;

(b) inform subscribers of any change to conditions limiting access to and/or use of services and applications, where such conditions are allowed under national law in accordance with Community law;

(ba) provide information on any procedures put in place by the provider to measure and shape traffic so as to avoid filling or overfilling a network link and on how those procedures could impact on service quality;

(c) inform subscribers of their right to determine whether or not to include their personal data in a directory, and of the types of data concerned, in accordance with Article 12 of Directive 2002/58/EC (Directive on privacy and electronic communications); and

(d) regularly inform disabled subscribers of details of products and services designed for them.

If deemed appropriate, national regulatory authorities may promote self- or co-regulatory measures prior to imposing any obligation.

4. Member States may require that undertakings referred to in paragraph 3 distribute public interest information free of charge to existing and new subscribers, where appropriate, through the same means as those ordinarily used by the undertakings for their communications with subscribers. In such a case, that information shall be provided by the relevant public authorities in a standardised format and shall, inter alia, cover the following topics:

(a) the most common uses of electronic communications services to engage in unlawful activities or to disseminate harmful content, particularly where it may prejudice respect for the rights and freedoms of others, including infringements of copyright and related rights, and their legal consequences; and

(b) the means of protection against risks to personal security, privacy and personal data when using electronic communications services.

Article 22
Article 22 − Quality of service

1. Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities are, after taking account of the views of interested parties, able to require undertakings that provide publicly available electronic communications networks and/or services to publish comparable, adequate and up-to-date information for end-users on the quality of their services and measures taken to ensure equivalence in access for disabled end-users. That information shall, on request, be supplied to the national regulatory authority in advance of its publication.

2. National regulatory authorities may specify, inter alia, the quality of service parameters to be measured and the content, form and manner of the information to be published, including possible quality certification mechanisms, in order to ensure that end-users, including disabled end-users, have access to comprehensive, comparable, reliable and user-friendly information. Where appropriate, the parameters, definitions and measurement methods set out in Annex III may be used.

3. In order to prevent the degradation of service and the hindering or slowing down of traffic over networks, Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities are able to set minimum quality of service requirements on an undertaking or undertakings providing public communications networks.

The Commission may, having examined such requirements and consulted the Body of European Regulators in Telecom (BERT), adopt technical implementing measures in that regard if it considers that the requirements may create a barrier to the internal market. Those measures designed to amend non-essential elements of this Directive by supplementing it shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 37(2).

''(26) A competitive market should ensure that users enjoy the quality of service they require, but in particular cases it may be necessary to ensure that public communications networks attain minimum quality levels so as to prevent degradation of service, the blocking of access and the slowing of traffic over networks. In order to meet quality of service requirements, operators may use procedures to measure and shape traffic on a network link so as to avoid filling the link to capacity or overfilling the link, which would result in network congestion and poor performance. These procedures should be deemed appropriate and reasonable as long as it can be proved that they are not anti-competitive or do not give preferential treatment to the internet services or applications of the network operators or their commercial partners over the internet services and applications of other providers. National regulatory authorities should be able to verify that these procedures do not restrict competition or have the effect of hindering the development of the information society and to remedy any abuse. Since inconsistent remedies will significantly impair the achievement of the internal market, the Commission should assess any requirements set by national regulatory authorities for possible regulatory intervention across the Community and, if necessary, adopt technical implementing measures in order to achieve consistent application throughout the Community.''

Article 28
Article 28 − Access to numbers and services

1. Member States shall ensure that, where technically and economically feasible, and except where a called subscriber has chosen for commercial reasons to limit access by calling parties located in specific geographical areas, relevant national authorities take all necessary steps to ensure that end-users are able to:

(a) access and use services using non-geographic numbers within the Community;

(b) access all numbers provided in the Community regardless of the technology and devices used by the operator, including those in the national numbering plans of Member States, those from the ETNS and Universal International Freephone Numbers (UIFN); and

(ba) access and use services through text telephones, video telephones and products which help elderly people or people with disabilities to communicate, at least as regards emergency calls.

2. Member States shall ensure that the relevant authorities are able to require undertakings providing public communications networks and/or publicly available electronic communications services to block, on a case-by-case basis, access to numbers or services where this is justified by reasons of fraud or misuse and to require that in such cases providers of electronic communications services withhold relevant interconnection or other service revenues.

2a. In order to ensure that end users have effective access to numbers and services in the Community, the Commission may adopt technical implementing measures. Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Directive by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 37(2).

Any such technical implementing measures may be periodically reviewed to take account of market and technological developments.

''(36) A single market implies that end-users are able to access all numbers included in the national numbering plans of other Member States, and to access services using non-geographic numbers within the Community including, among others, freephone and premium rate numbers. End-users should also be able to access numbers from the European Telephone Numbering Space (ETNS) and Universal International Freephone Numbers (UIFN). Cross-border access to numbering resources and to its associated services should not be prevented except in objectively justified cases, for example to combat fraud, or abuse (e.g. in connection with certain premium-rate services) when the number is defined as having a national scope only (e.g. a national short code) or when it is technically or economically unfeasible. Users should be fully informed in advance and in a clear manner of any charges applicable to freephone numbers, such as international call charges for numbers accessible through standard international dialling codes. In order to ensure that end-users have effective access to numbers and services in the Community, the Commission should be empowered to adopt implementing measures. End-users should also be able to connect to other end-users (especially via IP numbers) in order to exchange data, regardless of the operator they choose.''

Article 32a
Article 32a − Access to content, services and applications

Member States shall ensure that any restrictions on the rights of users to access content, services and applications, if such restrictions are necessary, are implemented by appropriate measures, in accordance with the principles of proportionality, effectiveness and dissuasiveness. Those measures shall not have the effect of hindering the development of the information society, in compliance with Directive 2000/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2000 on certain legal aspects of information society services, in particular electronic commerce, in the Internal Market (Directive on electronic commerce), and shall not conflict with the fundamental rights of citizens, including the right to privacy and the right to due process.

Article 33
Article 33 − Consultation with interested parties

1. Member States shall ensure as far as appropriate that national regulatory authorities take account of the views of end-users, consumers (including, in particular, disabled end-users), manufacturers and undertakings that provide electronic communications networks and/or services on issues related to all end-user and consumer rights concerning publicly available electronic communications services, in particular where they have a significant impact on the market.

In particular, Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities establish a consultation mechanism ensuring that in their decisions on issues related to end-user and consumer rights concerning publicly available electronic communications services, due consideration is given to consumer interests in electronic communications.

2. Where appropriate, interested parties may develop, with the guidance of national regulatory authorities, mechanisms, involving consumers, user groups and service providers, to improve the general quality of service provision by, inter alia, developing and monitoring codes of conduct and operating standards.

3. Without prejudice to national rules in conformity with Community law promoting cultural and media policy objectives, such as cultural and linguistic diversity and media pluralism, national regulatory authorities and other relevant authorities may promote cooperation between undertakings providing electronic communications networks and/or services and sectors interested in the promotion of lawful content in electronic communication networks and services. That cooperation may also include coordination of the public interest information to be provided pursuant to Article 21(4)(a) and Article 20(1).

3a. Without prejudice to Directive 1999/5/EC, and in particular the disability requirements laid down in Article 3(3)(f) thereof, and in order to improve accessibility to electronic communications services and equipment by disabled end-users, the Commission may adopt the appropriate technical implementing measures, following a public consultation and after having consulted BERT. Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Directive by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 37(2).

''(39) In order to overcome existing shortcomings in terms of consumer consultation and to appropriately address the interests of citizens, Member States should put in place an appropriate consultation mechanism. Such a mechanism could take the form of a body which would, independently of the national regulatory authority and service providers, carry out research into consumer-related issues, such as consumer behaviour and mechanisms for changing suppliers, and which would operate in a transparent manner and contribute to the existing mechanisms for stakeholder consultation. Furthermore, a mechanism could be established for the purpose of enabling appropriate cooperation on issues relating to the promotion of lawful content. Any cooperation procedures agreed pursuant to such a mechanism should, however, not allow for the systematic surveillance of internet usage. Where there is a need to address the facilitation of the access to and use of electronic communications services and terminal equipment for disabled users, and without prejudice to Directive 1999/5/EC and in particular the disability requirements laid down in Article 3(3)(f) thereof, the Commission should be empowered to adopt implementing measures.''

Article 34
Article 34 − Out-of-court dispute resolution

1. Member States shall ensure that transparent, non-discriminatory, simple and inexpensive out-of-court procedures are available for dealing with unresolved disputes between consumers and undertakings providing electronic communications networks and/or services arising under this Directive and relating to the contractual conditions and/or performance of contracts concerning the supply of those networks and/or services. Member States shall adopt measures to ensure that such procedures enable disputes to be settled fairly and promptly and may, where warranted, adopt a system of reimbursement and/or compensation. Such procedures shall enable disputes to be settled impartially and shall not deprive the consumer of the legal protection afforded by national law. Member States may extend these obligations to cover disputes involving other end-users.

Member States shall ensure that the bodies in charge of such procedures, which can be single points of contact, provide relevant information for statistical purposes to the Commission and the competent national authorities.

With specific regard to the interaction of audiovisual and electronic communications, Member States shall encourage reliable out-of-court procedures.

2. Member States shall ensure that their legislation does not hamper the establishment of complaints offices and the provision of on-line services at the appropriate territorial level to facilitate access to dispute resolution by consumers and end-users.

3. Where such disputes involve parties in different Member States, Member States shall coordinate their efforts with a view to bringing about a resolution of the dispute.

4. This Article is without prejudice to national court procedures.

''(39a) Procedures for out-of-court dispute resolution should be strengthened by ensuring that independent dispute resolution bodies are used, and that procedures conform at least to the minimum principles established by Commission Recommendation 98/257/EC of 30 March 1998 on the principles applicable to the bodies responsible for out-of-court settlement of consumer disputes (OJ L 115, 17.4.1998, p. 31.). Member States may either use existing dispute resolution bodies for that purpose, provided those bodies meet the applicable requirements, or establish new bodies. Furthermore, when dealing with out-of-court procedures, Member States should make every effort to ensure that those procedures are transparent and exercised impartially, in particular in view of Recommendation 98/257/EC, so that the effectiveness, fairness and legality of procedures is safeguarded.''

Annex I
(bb) Protection software

Member States are to ensure that national regulatory authorities are able to require operators to make available free of charge to their subscribers reliable, easy-to-use and freely and fully configurable protection and/or filtering software to prevent access by children or vulnerable persons to content unsuitable for them.

Any traffic monitoring data that this software may collect is for the use of the subscriber only.

Article 1
''(39b) Directive 2002/58/EC provides for the harmonisation of the provisions of national law required to ensure an equivalent level of protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, and in particular the right to privacy and the right to confidentiality, with respect to the processing of personal data in the electronic communications sector, and to ensure the free movement of such data and of electronic communications equipment and services in the Community. Where measures aiming to ensure that terminal equipment is constructed so as to safeguard the protection of personal data and privacy are adopted pursuant to Directive 1999/5/EC or Council Decision 87/95/EEC, such measures should respect the principle of technology neutrality.''

Article 2
Article 2 − Definitions

Save as otherwise provided, the definitions in Directive 95/46/EC and in Directive 2002/21/EC on a common regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services (Framework Directive) shall apply.

The following definitions shall also apply:

(a) “user” means any natural person using a publicly available electronic communications service, for private or business purposes, without necessarily having subscribed to this service;

(b) “traffic data” means any data processed for the purpose of the conveyance of a communication on an electronic communications network or for the billing thereof;

(c) “location data” means any data processed in an electronic communications network or by an electronic communications service, indicating the geographic position of the terminal equipment of a user of a publicly available electronic communications service;

(d) “communication” means any information exchanged or conveyed between a finite number of parties by means of a publicly available electronic communications service. This does not include any information conveyed as part of a broadcasting service to the public over an electronic communications network except to the extent that the information can be related to the identifiable subscriber or user receiving the information;

(e) “consent” by a user or subscriber corresponds to the data subject's consent in Directive 95/46/EC;

(f) “value added service” means any service which requires the processing of traffic data or location data other than traffic data beyond what is necessary for the transmission of a communication or the billing thereof;

(g) “electronic mail” means any text, voice, sound or image message sent over a public communications network which can be stored in the network or in the recipient's terminal equipment until it is collected by the recipient;

(h) “personal data breach” means a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, personal data transmitted, stored or otherwise processed in connection with the provision of a publicly available electronic communications service or information society service in the Community.

Article 3
(39d) Developments concerning the use of IP addresses should be followed closely, taking into consideration the work already done by, among others, the Working Party on the Protection of Individuals with regard to the Processing of Personal Data established by Article 29 of Directive 95/46/EC, and in the light of such proposals as may be appropriate.

''(44) Technological progress allows the development of new applications based on devices for data collection and identification, which could be contactless devices using radio frequencies. For example, Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID) use radio frequencies to capture data from uniquely identified tags which can then be transferred over existing communications networks. The wide use of such technologies can bring considerable economic and social benefit and thus make a powerful contribution to the internal market, if their use is acceptable to citizens. To achieve this aim, it is necessary to ensure that all fundamental rights of individuals, including the right to privacy and data protection, are safeguarded. When such devices are connected to publicly available electronic communications networks or make use of electronic communications services as a basic infrastructure, the relevant provisions of Directive 2002/58/EC (Directive on privacy and electronic communications), including those on security, traffic and location data and on confidentiality, should apply.''

Article 4
Article 4 − Security of processing

1. The provider of a publicly available electronic communications service or of an information society service must take appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard security of its services, if necessary in conjunction with the provider of the public communications network with respect to network security. Having regard to the state of the art and the cost of their implementation, these measures shall ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk presented.

1a. Without prejudice to Directive 95/46/EC, the measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall at least:

- ensure that personal data can be accessed only by authorised personnel for legally authorised purposes;

- protect personal data stored or transmitted against accidental or unlawful destruction, accidental loss or alteration, and unauthorised or unlawful storage, processing, access or disclosure; and

- implement a security policy with respect to the processing of personal data.

National regulatory authorities shall be able to audit the measures taken by providers of publicly available electronic communication services and information society services and to issue recommendations about best practices concerning the level of security which those measures should achieve.

2. In case of a particular risk of a breach of the security of the network, the provider of a publicly available electronic communications service must inform the subscribers concerning such risk and, where the risk lies outside the scope of the measures to be taken by the service provider, of any possible remedies, including an indication of the likely costs involved.

3. In the case of a personal data breach, the provider of publicly available electronic communications services or information society services shall, without undue delay, notify the personal data breach to the competent national authority.

When the personal data breach is likely to adversely affect the personal data and privacy of a subscriber or an individual, the provider shall notify the subscriber or individual of the breach without undue delay.

If the provider has not already notified the subscriber or individual of a personal data breach, the competent national authority, having considered the likely adverse effects of the breach, may require it to do so.

The notification to the subscriber or individual shall at least describe the nature of the personal data breach and the contact points where more information can be obtained, and shall recommend measures to mitigate the possible adverse effects of the personal data breach. The notification to the competent national authority shall, in addition, describe the consequences of, and the measures proposed or taken by the provider to address, the personal data breach.

''(47) A personal data breach may, if not addressed in an adequate and timely manner, result in substantial economic loss and social harm to the subscriber or individual concerned. Therefore the provider of publicly available electronic communications services or information society services should assess the possible adverse effects of a breach, such as, inter alia, identity theft, fraud, financial loss, loss of business or employment opportunities, physical harm, significant humiliation or damage to reputation, and access to emails and other communications, as soon as the provider becomes aware of the breach. The assessment should be conducted promptly and with all reasonable care, and should assume that any identified adverse effects are about to materialise. For the purpose of notification to subscribers or individuals of a personal data breach likely to have an adverse effect on them, the requirement to notify without undue delay should be taken to mean that they should be notified in such time as to enable them to take the necessary precautions. The notification should include information about measures taken by the provider to address the breach, as well as recommendations for the subscriber or individual concerned intended to prevent or minimise the likely adverse effects of the breach. Notification of a breach to a subscriber or individual should however not be required if the provider has demonstrated to the competent authority that it has implemented appropriate technological protection measures which render the data unintelligible to any person who is not authorised to access it, and that those measures were applied to the data concerned by the breach.''

4. Subject to any technical implementing measures adopted pursuant to paragraph 5, the competent national authorities may adopt guidelines and, where necessary, issue instructions concerning the circumstances in which notification by providers of personal data breaches is required, the format of such notification and the manner in which the notification is to be made. They shall also monitor whether providers have complied with their notification obligations under this paragraph, and impose appropriate sanctions in the event of a failure to do so.

Providers shall maintain an inventory of personal data breaches, comprising the facts surrounding the breach, its effects and the remedial action taken, sufficient for the purpose of enabling the competent national authorities to verify compliance with the provisions of paragraph 3. The inventory shall include only the information necessary for this purpose.

5. In order to ensure consistency in implementation of the measures referred to in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4, the Commission may, following consultation with the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA), the Article 29 Working Party and the European Data Protection Supervisor, adopt technical implementing measures concerning the circumstances, format and procedures applicable to the information and notification requirements referred to in this Article. The Commission shall involve all relevant stakeholders in order particularly to be informed of the best available technical and economic means of implementation of this Article.

Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Directive by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 14a(2).

Article 5
Article 5 − Confidentiality of the communications

1. Member States shall ensure the confidentiality of communications and the related traffic data by means of a public communications network and publicly available electronic communications services, through national legislation. In particular, they shall prohibit listening, tapping, storage or other kinds of interception or surveillance of communications and the related traffic data by persons other than users, without the consent of the users concerned, except when legally authorised to do so in accordance with Article 15(1). This paragraph shall not prevent technical storage which is necessary for the conveyance of a communication without prejudice to the principle of confidentiality.

2. Paragraph 1 shall not affect any legally authorised recording of communications and the related traffic data when carried out in the course of lawful business practice for the purpose of providing evidence of a commercial transaction or of any other business communication.

3. Member States shall ensure that the storing of information, or the gaining of access to information already stored, in the terminal equipment of a subscriber or user is only allowed on condition that the subscriber or user concerned has given his/her prior consent, which may be given by way of using the appropriate settings of a browser or another application, after having been provided with clear and comprehensive information in accordance with Directive 95/46/EC, inter alia about the purposes of the processing. This shall not prevent any technical storage or access for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network, or as strictly necessary in order to provide an information society service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user.

Article 6
Article 6 − Traffic data

1. Traffic data relating to subscribers and users processed and stored by the provider of a public communications network or publicly available electronic communications service must be erased or made anonymous when it is no longer needed for the purpose of the transmission of a communication without prejudice to paragraphs 2, 3 and 5 of this Article and Article 15(1).

2. Traffic data necessary for the purposes of subscriber billing and interconnection payments may be processed. Such processing is permissible only up to the end of the period during which the bill may lawfully be challenged or payment pursued.

3. For the purpose of marketing electronic communications services or for the provision of value added services, the provider of a publicly available electronic communications service may process the data referred to in paragraph 1 to the extent and for the duration necessary for such services or marketing, if the subscriber or user to whom the data relate has given his or her prior consent. Users or subscribers shall be given the possibility to withdraw their consent for the processing of traffic data at any time.

4. The service provider must inform the subscriber or user of the types of traffic data which are processed and of the duration of such processing for the purposes mentioned in paragraph 2 and, prior to obtaining consent, for the purposes mentioned in paragraph 3.

5. Processing of traffic data, in accordance with paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4, must be restricted to persons acting under the authority of providers of the public communications networks and publicly available electronic communications services handling billing or traffic management, customer enquiries, fraud detection, marketing electronic communications services or providing a value added service, and must be restricted to what is necessary for the purposes of such activities.

6. Paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 5 shall apply without prejudice to the possibility for competent bodies to be informed of traffic data in conformity with applicable legislation with a view to settling disputes, in particular interconnection or billing disputes.

(41) The processing of traffic data to the extent strictly necessary for the purposes of the detection, location and elimination of faults and malfunctions of network and information security, ensuring the availability, authenticity, integrity and confidentiality of stored or transmitted data, will help prevent unauthorised access and malicious code distribution, "denial of service" attacks and damage to computer and electronic communication systems.

Article 14
Article 14 − Technical features and standardisation

1 In implementing the provisions of this Directive, Member States shall ensure, subject to paragraphs 2 and 3, that no mandatory requirements for specific technical features are imposed on terminal or other electronic communication equipment which could impede the placing of equipment on the market and the free circulation of such equipment in and between Member States.

2. Where provisions of this Directive can be implemented only by requiring specific technical features in electronic communications networks, Member States shall inform the Commission in accordance with the procedure provided for by Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations and of rules on information society services.

3. Where required, measures may be adopted to ensure that terminal equipment is constructed in a way that is compatible with the right of users to protect and control the use of their personal data, in accordance with Directive 1999/5/EC and Council Decision 87/95/EEC of 22 December 1986 on standardisation in the field of information technology and communications.

Article 15
Article 15 − Application of certain provisions of Directive 95/46/EC

1. Member States may adopt legislative measures to restrict the scope of the rights and obligations provided for in Article 5, Article 6, Article 8(1), (2), (3) and (4), and Article 9 of this Directive when such restriction constitutes a necessary, appropriate and proportionate measure within a democratic society to safeguard national security (i.e. State security), defence, public security, and the prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution of criminal offences or of unauthorised use of the electronic communication system, as referred to in Article 13(1) of Directive 95/46/EC. To this end, Member States may, inter alia, adopt legislative measures providing for the retention of data for a limited period justified on the grounds laid down in this paragraph. All the measures referred to in this paragraph shall be in accordance with the general principles of Community law, including those referred to in Article 6(1) and (2) of the Treaty on European Union.

1a. Paragraph 1 shall not apply to data specifically required by Directive 2006/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on the retention of data generated or processed in connection with the provision of publicly available electronic communications services or of public communications networks to be retained for the purposes referred to in Article 1(1) of that Directive.

1b. Providers shall establish internal procedures for responding to requests for access to users' personal data based on national provisions adopted pursuant to paragraph 1. They shall provide the competent national authority, on demand, with information on those procedures, the number of requests received, the legal justification invoked and the response by the provider.

2. The provisions of Chapter III on judicial remedies, liability and sanctions of Directive 95/46/EC shall apply with regard to national provisions adopted pursuant to this Directive and with regard to the individual rights derived from this Directive.

3. The Working Party on the Protection of Individuals with regard to the Processing of Personal Data instituted by Article 29 of Directive 95/46/EC shall also carry out the tasks laid down in Article 30 of that Directive with regard to matters covered by this Directive, namely the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms and of legitimate interests in the electronic communications sector.

Article 15a
Article 15a − Implementation and enforcement

1. Member States shall lay down the rules on penalties, including sanctions where appropriate, applicable to infringements of the national provisions adopted pursuant to this Directive and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented. The penalties provided for must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive and may be applied to cover the period of any breach, even where the breach has subsequently been rectified. The Member States shall notify those provisions to the Commission by ...(The date referred to in Article 4(1).) and shall notify it without delay of any subsequent amendment affecting them.

2. Without prejudice to any judicial remedy which might be available, Member States shall ensure that the competent national authority and, where relevant, other national bodies have the power to order the cessation of the infringements referred to in paragraph 1.

3. Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities and, where relevant, other national bodies have the necessary investigative powers and resources, including the power to obtain any relevant information they might need to monitor and enforce national provisions adopted pursuant to this Directive.

4. In order to ensure effective cross-border co-operation in the enforcement of the national laws adopted pursuant to this Directive and to create harmonised conditions for the provision of services involving cross-border data flows, the Commission may adopt technical implementing measures, following consultation with ENISA, the Article 29 Working Party and the relevant regulatory authorities.

Those measures, designed to amend non- essential elements of this Directive by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 14a(2). On imperative grounds of urgency, the Commission may have recourse to the urgency procedure referred to in Article 14a(3).

(39c) When adopting implementing measures on the security of processing, the Commission should consult all relevant European authorities and organisations (ENISA, the European Data Protection Supervisor and the Article 29 Working Party) as well as all other relevant stakeholders, particularly in order to be informed of the best available technical and economic methods for improving the implementation of Directive 2002/58/EC.

''(54) The need to ensure an adequate level of protection of privacy and personal data transmitted and processed in connection with the use of electronic communications networks in the Community calls for effective implementation and enforcement powers in order to provide adequate incentives for compliance. Competent national authorities and, where appropriate, other relevant national bodies should have sufficient powers and resources to investigate cases of non-compliance effectively, including powers to obtain any relevant information they might need, to decide on complaints and to impose sanctions in cases of non-compliance.''

''(55) The implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this Directive often require cooperation between the national regulatory authorities of two or more Member States, for example in combating cross-border spam and spyware. In order to ensure smooth and rapid cooperation in such cases, procedures relating for example to the quantity and format of information exchanged between authorities, or deadlines to be complied with, should be defined in recommendations. Such procedures will also allow the resulting obligations of market actors to be harmonised, contributing to the creation of a level playing field in the Community.''

Article 18
Article 18 − Review

The Commission shall, having consulted the Working Party on the Protection of Individuals with regard to the Processing of Personal Data established by Article 29 of Directive 95/46/EC and the European Data Protection Supervisor, submit to the European Parliament and the Council, not later than ...(3 years from the date referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 4(1).), a report on the application of this Directive and its impact on economic operators and consumers, in particular as regards the provisions on unsolicited communications and breach notifications, taking into account the international environment. For this purpose, the Commission may request information from the Member States, which shall be supplied without undue delay. Where appropriate, the Commission shall submit proposals to amend this Directive, taking account of the results of that report, any changes in the sector, and any other proposal it may deem necessary in order to improve the effectiveness of this Directive.