- Extend the scope of the ePrivacy provisions to cover modern, functionally equivalent electronic communications services such as WhatsApp, Gmail, Skype and Messenger.
- Ensuring the protection of the confidentiality of electronic communications between individuals and private user groups given Europe’s high dependence on these services.
The Article 29 Working Party today (July 25, 2016) adopted its opinion on the review of the E‑Privacy Directive 2002/58/EC (Opinion 3/2016 on the evaluation and review of the ePrivacy Directive) was published. According to this, the protection of electronic communications is to be improved by extending the scope of the new e‑privacy provisions:
The scope of the current ePD is mostly limited to traditional electronic communication services (such as internet service providers and telcos). Many of its provisions do not apply, for example, to Internet telephony (VoIP) or e‑mail and instant messaging providers. Given the high dependence of many Europeans on electronic communications, the new legal instrument must seek to protect the confidentiality of functionally equivalent electronic communication services (such as, for example, WhatsApp, Google GMail, Skype and Facebook Messenger), especially when it concerns messages exchanged by and between individuals and private user groups.