The European Commission has today (23 February) revealed a set of proposals for a Data Act which will clarify who can create value from data and under what conditions.

The rules are part of the EU’s continued effort to restore the balance of power to people rather than corporations when it comes to data ownership.

Margrethe Vestager, executive VP for a Europe fit for the Digital Age, said: “We want to give consumers and companies even more control over what can be done with their data, clarifying who can access data and on what terms. This is a key digital principle that will contribute to creating a solid and fair data-driven economy and guide the digital transformation by 2030.”

Under the new rules, people will be able to transfer their data from a product such as Amazon’s Alexa to another company (such as a repair company) without having to rely on Amazon’s goodwill to release the data. The rules affect all non-personal data and will loosen Big Tech’s grip on people’s reliance on their services.

In addition to the product usage data rules, the EU is proposing that companies must make all data available to the public sector in emergencies. Companies will also be prevented from withholding data from smaller companies for their own commercial gain.

The Data Act will ask companies to introduce measures to prevent non-EU governments from accessing data. Companies will be obliged to allow customers to transfer data between cloud providers at no extra cost.

According to Thierry Breton, commissioner for internal market, the proposals represent an “important step in unlocking a wealth of industrial data in Europe, benefiting businesses, consumers, public services and society as a whole.”

“So far, only a small part of industrial data is used and the potential for growth and innovation is enormous. The Data Act will ensure that industrial data is shared, stored and processed in full respect of European rules. It will form the cornerstone of a strong, innovative and sovereign European digital economy,” Breton added.

The proposal could take several years to come into effect as it has yet to go to the European Parliament for approval.

The Data Act is intended to act as a companion to the Data Governance Act which was presented in 2020 to create the processes and structures to facilitate data sharing by companies, individuals and the public sector.

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