The European Commission’s proposed Data Protection Regulation calls for the ‘establishment of certification mechanisms, data protection seals and marks’ to enhance transparency and legal compliance and to permit data subjects [individuals] the means to make quick assessments of the level of data protection of relevant products and services.
A privacy seal is a certification mark or a guarantee issued by a certifying entity verifying an organization’s adherence to certain specified privacy standards that aim to promote consumer trust and confidence in e-commerce.
This paper reviews future regulatory options for privacy seals in Europe—full regulation and co-regulation—and determines which of these are best suited and how they might be used to enhance the effectiveness of privacy seals.