There has been a fair amount of recent media coverage and comment about a report – “Creativity and Internet” – commissioned by the French Culture Minister which includes a proposal to levy the online advertising revenues of the likes of Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft and AOL. The aim of the levy is to raise money for the French creative industry. Whilst it’s not clear as to whether the French Government will seriously consider this proposal (although President Sarkozy has welcomed the report), Google has already publicly opposed the idea stating that it could “slow down innovation” and that it is “disproportionate.”
Protecting personal data and privacy is one of the biggest challenges of the digital era. And, as we all spend more of our lives online, so it’s importance will continue to grow. People are prepared to share more information about themselves and their experiences then we might dare to do in the offline world. People are also prepared to forfeit a little bit of personal data in return for improved and often more personal services. This is not a new thing: loyalty cards have been around for a while now. 
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