On 5 November 2010, the German Second Chamber (Bundesrat) commented on the Government’s draft for the new HR Privacy Bill. The Government introduced the bill in August in order to create specific rules for the collection and processing of HR data before, during and after an employment relationship. The Bill includes prohibits the use of social networks for research on candidates and sets out specific rules for different types of employee monitoring. The Bundesrat demands from the government to review the Bill in order to make them easier to understand. In addition, the Bundesrat requires more detailed rules, calling, for example, for a ruling banning the monitoring of cafeterias and break rooms. In addition, the Bundesrat wants to include a provision for the privacy protection of employee representatives. The Bundesrat also suggests that the Government shall request on a European level to regulations for data privacy within groups of companies. The Government will now respond with a counter-statement and then forward the Bill to the German Parliament (Bundestag). It is expected that the Bill will be finalized by the Bundestag in spring next year.
