A Single Digital Market

Renowned writer and feminist Virginia Wolfe was convinced that, in “December 1910 or thereabouts, human character would change” and that the ways of thinking and feeling, reasoning and loving would change profoundly, following the cultural and arts movement of the end of the XIX century. What if she had chosen the wrong century and the transformation of human character, which started in 1910, had not become complete until now? It is difficult to settle the issue, but the fact that a change in broader collective mindsets is actually taking place is a possibility. Internet is the trigger, after having successfully infiltrated our daily lives with mindboggling speed. In 2002, 39% of European Union households were connected to the Web. At the end of 2011, they were 75%. The spread of high-speed connections, which has allowed for real interactivity to happen, is even more impressive. Today, 68% of European households has access to a high-speed connection, compared to just 15% in 2004. This technology platform has allowed for the evolution of Internet-based social networks. Although it was created only in 2006, Facebook can now boast of more than 800 million users! The advent of the so-called Web 2 has undoubtedly left a permanent mark on the second millennium. It is changing the way we communicate and interact, our way of thinking.Technological change elicits our reflections and requires adjustments. It raises several issues. From the technology standpoint, Pope Benedict XVI’s message for Social Communication World Day, published on Tuesday, January 24th, is a beautiful meditation on the balance that must be restored between silence and words in the age of search engines and social networks. From a more practical and pastoral standpoint, the XVI Salesian Study Days, scheduled for January 26th and 27th in Annecy, by the French Federation of the Catholic Press, have looked into the battle of numbers in the Christian press and media.From a political and legal standpoint, this week the European Commission published its own proposal to change EU legislation on data protection. European Commissioner Viviane Reding unveiled the general scheme of the reform on January 22nd in Munich. Regulations that are directly applicable at member-State level, in addition to a directive to be transposed into national legislations, should lead to greater economic opportunities in this field, albeit ensuring a high level of user data protection. By creating a real single digital market, simplifying the regulatory framework with a one-stop shop and establishing clear rules for international data transfers, the Commission is hoping to save European businesses 2.3 billion euros every year.We should recall, however, that article 8 of the European Charter of Human Rights grants each person the fundamental right to data protection, but 70% of people who were interviewed during a recent survey by Eurobarometro, openly declared to be afraid of the way in which businesses use their personal data. 74% of citizens are calling for specific authorizations to be required, prior to data collection and treatment. For this reason, the EU’s executive body is proposing that information provided to consumers on data collection and treatment become more clear and transparent and that prior authorization should be given. Lastly, it is also calling for better user access to their own data, both for data to be passed on to other suppliers, and for it to be erased. Thinking in particular about our youth, in order to give them control over their on-line identity, according to Commissioner Reding, a right to oblivion on the Internet must be introduced, although this would not be an absolute right. Freedom of expression and information should not be challenged, however the conditions must be established to allow people to preserve their legitimate privacy, and hide their lives from everybody’s scrutiny. “Secretum mihi meum – my secret is mine”, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux already used to say.