EU justice commissioner Vivian Reding first proposed these privacy reforms back in the mid-1990s, and legislators have been developing a new law since 2010.  Reding proposed her own regulations in January 2012, and last month, the European Parliament approved a stronger version of Reding’s rules.  The regulations would set higher fines and stronger defences against countries like the US which would want to have access to EU-owned data. If the current draft of the privacy bill became law, US internet giants like eBay and Amazon would face billions of euros’ worth of fines.  Hustinx spoke to the Council of the European Union in Brussels on Thursday and urged member governments to pass the legislation.  He also called on the US to reform its regulations to restore transatlantic trust.  He said: “The 21st century requires stronger rights, stronger responsibilities, more consistency across Europe.”  Source: New York Times