Europe takes UK to court over data protection

The commission said that UK law relating to the confidentiality of emails and internet browsing "does not comply with EU rules on consent to interception and on enforcement by supervisory authorities". The move comes after an infringement procedure was opened by the commission in April 2009. This followed complaints from UK internet users that some British internet service providers had briefly trialled a technology called Phorm, which delivers targeted advertising based on analysis of users' internet traffic without their consent. Brussels asked the UK government to bring its laws in line with EU rules, which it says Britain has failed to do. "The commission considers that existing UK law governing the confidentiality of electronic communications is in breach of the UK's obligations under the ePrivacy Directive 2002/58/EC and the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC," it said in a statement on 30 September 2010. A spokesperson for the Home Office said: "We can confirm that we are in discussions with the commission about this directive and are disappointed the commission has decided to refer the case to the European Court of Justice. "We are planning to make changes to address the commission's concerns and will be setting out more detail on any necessary amendments or legislation in due course."