In a video posted on her website on April 14 2009, Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media, said that Europeans must have the right to control how their personal information is used.

She said that the European Commission would take action wherever EU member states failed to ensure that new technologies such as behavioural advertising, Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) "smart chips" or online social networking respected this right.

"Europeans must have the right to control how their personal information is used," Reding said, announcing several areas in which the EC is ready to act to maintain this right as technology trends make it easier to use, and misuse, personal information.

She said that the EU would take action where member states fail to implement EU rules ensuring privacy and the need for a person's consent before processing his or her personal data.

"European privacy rules are crystal clear: a person's information can only be used with their prior consent. We cannot give up this basic principle, and have all our exchanges monitored, surveyed and stored in exchange for a promise of 'more relevant' advertising!

"I will not shy away from taking action where an EU country falls short of this duty," Reding said in her video message.

She said that RFID, the smart chips integrated in products to send radio signals, would only realise their economic potential "if they are used by the consumer and not on the consumer.

"No European should carry a chip in one of their possessions without being informed precisely what they are used for, with the choice to remove or switch it off at any time."

She called on social networking companies to reinforce privacy protection online: "Privacy must in my view be a high priority for social networking providers and their users.

"I firmly believe that at least the profiles of minors must be private by default and unavailable to internet search engines.

"The EC has already called on social networking sites to deal with minors' profiles carefully, by means of self-regulation. I am ready to follow this up with new rules if I have to," Reding said.

The EU directive on privacy and electronic communications requires EU member states to ensure confidentiality of the communications by prohibiting unlawful interception and surveillance unless the users concerned have given their consent.

The EU Data Protection Directive specifies that a person must freely give specific consent and be informed before their personal information is processed.

In February 2009, the EC brokered an agreement between 17 major social networking companies to improve privacy, especially of minors, on social networking websites.

In the agreement, companies recognised their responsibility to ensure child safety and committed to enabling and encouraging users to employ a safe approach to personal information and privacy.

Later in April 2009, they will inform the EC about their individual safety policies and how they will put in place the principles in the agreement.