This article titled “Google and Facebook face new privacy code” was written by Josh Halliday, for guardian.co.uk on Wednesday 3rd November 2010 16.26 Asia/Calcutta

Individuals would be able to get redress against internet companies such as Google or Facebook if they feel they have invaded their privacy, under a code of internet conduct being proposed by the culture minister, Ed Vaizey.

The code would be an updated and more concise version of the code for privacy online (PDF) which is used by the Information Commissioner’s Office, whom Vaizey is understood to be meeting today to push his proposal.

Vaizey, the Conservative MP for Wantage and Didcot, last week likened this prospective mediation service to the Press Complaints Commission, which works to resolve complaints by members of the public about information published in the UK press.

“One wants at least to attempt to give consumers some opportunity to have a dialogue with internet companies, as they would be able to do if a newspaper had inadvertently published that information,” he said. “There is huge scope for self-regulation.”

Vaizey is understood to be meeting with the UK information commissioner (ICO) today to suggest a refreshed code of conduct to be signed up to by internet businesses such as Google and Facebook.

The minister wants businesses to sign up to an updated and more concise version of the ICO’s code of conduct, and then display that in a prominent place on their home page with a link to the code. It has been described by one well-placed observer as “the first step towards a proper internet bill of rights”.

During a parliamentary debate on privacy and the internet last week, Vaizey said that “more well-known and legitimate websites” should be made to sign-up to the code, saying later that both Google and Facebook would be required to discuss opportunities for redress for aggrieved citizens.

“Critical momentum could be built up if more well-known and legitimate websites signed up to the code, made that plain on their home pages and allowed consumers to see what that code states,” he said.

Privacy and the internet has been accelerated to the forefront of public debate across the world this year following a number of significant and large-scale breaches. Facebook, which signed up its 500 millionth user worldwide earlier this year, worried users – and the European commission’s data protection working party – with its rollback of privacy provisions. Google, meanwhile, continues to face unprecedented class actions and investigations around the world into its “mistaken” collection of personal data from personal Wi-Fi connections by Street View cars.

Vaizey will also write to internet service providers and internet companies to propose a new mediation service, which would give people who feel their privacy has been breached another means of redress.

Facebook said of the proposals: “Facebook is an industry leader in giving people the best tools to protect their privacy. We look forward to hearing more about Mr Vaizey’s plans and continuing to work with both him and the ICO.” Google declined to comment.

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: “We are keen to explore ideas for how we can work together with industry to improve the customer experience around complaints and problems with service as well as other online issues, including a mediation service.

“Ed Vaizey will write to internet service providers and other key players to set up a meeting to explore various options.”

The ICO, widely thought to have insufficient power to enforce punishments against companies found to have breached privacy laws, will be given new capacity to protect citizens in line with new European Union privacy directives. The directive states that, among other things, the UK should establish a regulator to make sure the interception of users’ communication is within the boundaries of the law.

The European commission is in the process of taking the UK government to court for breaching EU laws on internet privacy over complaints about the Phorm activity-tracking web system and its failure to change the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) and the Data protection Act (DPA), the latter of which empowers the ICO.

In April, the ICO was given the power to issue monetary penalty notices to companies it rules have committed “serious breaches” of the Data Protection Act. Rob Halfon, the Conservative MP for Harlow, said last week that the ICO was prevented from taking stronger action against Google after its Street View cars collected sensitive Wi-Fi data because the Data Protection Act at the time limited its powers.

Halfon yesterday tabled around 50 written questions to the Ministry of Justice about the ICO, including a number on the office’s investigation into the Google Wi-Fi data.

The ICO ruled in July that Google had not breached data protection laws, but has subsequently said it will re-examine the data, following revelations uncovered by investigations from privacy commissioners in other countries. Last month Google admitted that the data harvested when its Street View cars mapped some locations was more sensitive than previously thought, in some cases obtaining full emails and passwords.

In a statement released on Monday, the ICO said: “Whilst we continue to work with our other international counterparts on this issue we will not be panicked into a knee jerk response to an alarmist agenda.”

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010

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