The ePrivacy Directive is Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and the EU Council, which was issued on July 12, 2002. The directive governs the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector and is also known as the Directive on privacy and electronic communications.
The Directive aims to ensure the confidentiality of communication and the protection of personal data of EU citizens in the communications sector. It provides guidance on how electronic communication service providers should collect and process personal data.
Unlike the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is a binding legislative act, the ePrivacy Directive is a non-binding directive that sets out goals that EU countries must achieve. However, each individual country can devise its own ways to achieve those goals.
The ePrivacy Directive, also known as the Cookie Law, complements GDPR in the area of electronic communications and digital marketing. It is important to note that ePrivacy only applies to publicly available electronic communications services.
The directive was introduced in response to the rise of new advanced digital technologies and upcoming issues related to the safety and protection of personal data. The aim was to encourage harmonization across the Member States regarding these issues.
