BERLIN–German Chancellor Angela Merkel called yesterday for tougher European and global rules on data protection amid fallout from recent revelations about US surveillance programmes.Merkel pledged that Germany will take a "very strict position" in ongoing talks on European Union-wide data rules. Germany will push for those rules to oblige companies such as Google and Facebook to tell European countries who they share data with, she said.
The chancellor also suggested that a protocol on data protection could be added to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a UN accord that dates back to 1966. Germans are sensitive about protecting their personal data.Ahead of September elections in which the conservative Merkel is seeking a third term, the center-left opposition says her government isn't doing enough to address those worries and confront the US.
AP