Cameron joins war on EU reforms

Prime Minister David Cameron has thrown his weight behind the battle against the new EU data laws, amid plans to try to block the measures going through without proper debate.
Criticism has been mounting ever since the reforms were voted through on Monday, triggering claims they are being rushed through.
Cameron, who made his stand during opening talks at an EU summit in Brussels last night, has been joined by former No 10 policy advisor Rohan Silva, the Advertising Association and legal experts in condemning the move.
The DMA, however, which has been at the forefront of the UK fight against the proposals has yet to comment. It estimates the directive will leave UK businesses with an annual £47bn hole in their pockets in lost sales and additional costs. The Government’s estimates are somewhat lower, claiming the laws will cost British businesses about £360m a year.
Bridget Treacy, partner and head of UK privacy and cyber-security at law firm, Hunton & Williams thinks that companies will be forced to change their operations as a result.
“It enhances consumer rights and means businesses are going to have to focus on making sure they know what data they’ve got and what they do with it. One of the requirements of the legislation is that companies only collect the minimum amount of data that they require for a specific purpose.
“Firms are going to have to be much clearer about what data they are collecting and why. It means that they will not be able to hold on to data as a bit of a comfort blanket.”