The European Union is moving closer to legislation that would allow companies and people to freely transfer data captured by internet-of-things devices across member states with the goal of lowering the digital divide among countries.
But trade groups and legal experts are still seeking clarity on how the process would work and whether transferring data would hurt trade secrets or collide with the EU’s personal data privacy governed by the General Data Protection Regulation, known as GDPR.
The European Parliament and the European Council, which are part of the European Union’s executive body, reached a tentative agreement late last month on the outlines of the new legislation, moving it one step closer to being finalized before the end of the year. The Council is made up of heads of state or heads of government of the 27 member states.
