The European Parliament moved a new set of data protection measures forward this week, more than a year after initial discussions began.
The provisions passed a Parliament vote and will now have to receive an accord from the 28 European Union governments, according to The New York Times. The new restrictions will not be passed until at least May, when elections take place
If the provisions gain accord, they'll become a single set of laws that replace the multitude of separate privacy laws in Europe. Under their governance, companies would have to take multiple steps to ensure individual privacy. For instance, companies would have to get permission from authorities in a citizen's native country before giving an individual's data to another country. And the affected person would also have to be notified about the request.
Any company violating these provisions could face fines up to $140 million, or five percent of their global turnover.