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2007 data protection commissioners’ conference explored terra incognita
In my previous blog entry I presented briefly the Terra Incognita conference on data protection and privacy and the six “dragons” which are “living “ there: 1) Public safety, 2) Law meets technology, 3) Globalization, 4) Ubiquitous computing, 5) The next generation and 6) The body as data. I discussed the first three in my previous blog, so let’s look at “dragons” 4), 5) and 6).

Ubiquitous computing: This one can be seen as an extension, or a twin, of the dragon of “globalization” with which it is tightly linked. A dominant aspect of the modern world is the predominance of technology as a major enabler of progress, security, wealth, efficiency, but also as a new way to perpetrate fraud and crime and make excessive privacy intrusion easier. A balance is needed between technology’s usefulness and its intrusive nature. Some practices seen as useful developments which could also be considered as potentially intrusive include fleet management, on- board “crash” recording devices, sales and service engineer travel optimization. Some practices in the near future like location-based advertising, facial recognition devices, and license plate automatic tracking were also noted.

In the more distant future technologies like “intelligent dust” or the “internet of things” will blur the line between private and public, visible and invisible, under control and out of control, humanly managed and automatic machine interaction and data collection. As noted by one of the speakers in its supporting documents:

  • The privacy community needs to consider what positions it will take and what concerns it will raise as such systems inevitably expand in scope and use.
  • Should system controllers be required to establish reasonable grounds for extensive surveillance systems?
  • Is advising the subjects the only constraint on use of these systems?
  • Are there situations when surveillance systems are too fundamental an invasion of privacy?

The Next generation: For individuals 30 years of age and more, technology is something that has entered their lives and has been evolving more and more quickly. The experience is radically different, and will be even more year after year, for the young generation. They have always lived in a world with technology, and their attitude about it is at the same time more open and more naïve than older people. Participants said that we have to inform young people about the benefits and the risks and protect them against those dangers.

When it comes to the protection of children, there is often a focus on preventing access to sexually aggressive material and child pornography. But there are also some other risks that are less critical but merit attention, such as excessive marketing to children, surveying of children, appealing contests and so called “free gifts,” which may trigger adverse consequences.

One of the workshops about this “dragon” presented some education modules that have been used in the classroom.

  1. The Media Awareness Network demonstrated a number of games, including the award-winning Privacy Playground: “The First Adventure of the Three Cyberpigs”, as well as lesson plans and teaching modules specifically designed to provide children with an in-depth understanding of the relationship between privacy and their own experiences as consumers and citizens.
  2. The Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre presented the “Technotonomy” manual, an interactive textbook designed to provide teachers with background information and student materials on privacy. 
  3. The On the Identity Trail Project introduced a new privacy module called “In Your I” that provides students with an opportunity to explore the deeper relationships between privacy, autonomy and identity in a networked environment.
The Body as Data: Advanced research in the medical domain, especially on the human genome, has made a lot of information available not only about health and medical treatment but also about the body and the genetics of individuals. There are an increasing number of companies managing “biobanks” that keep extensive information about people.
“It encompasses a wide range of collections, including not just those specifically instituted as biobanks but also: pathology samples; blood samples from newborn screening; samples in various tissue banks and disease registries; samples sent to medical laboratories for clinical testing; reproductive matter in assisted reproduction clinics; collections of various body substances for forensic purposes; samples collected for military identification purposes, and samples obtained directly or indirectly for research purposes.

The speakers differentiated among three main types of biobanks:

  1. Clinical biobanks consist of samples collected for clinical treatment purposes;
  2. Research biobanks for experimental and research purpose
  3. Forensic biobanks for investigatory or law enforcement purposes.
Such data poses indeed some serious questions about security, privacy, consent and purpose (primary and eventually secondary) and the speakers mentioned the potential permeability of the above differentiation. The huge interest of biobanking was mentioned and also the formidable challenge to ensure the adequate balance between the private and public interests of those and the protection of individual privacy.

The next conference will be organized jointly by the French and German data protection agencies in Strasbourg, France, which is a meaningful place for both countries in terms of culture, history and politics and will be hosted by the Council of Europe. The theme will be “Protecting privacy in a borderless world” with a focus on global technology challenges and economical and sociological aspects of our society, with speakers from civil society, enforcement agencies, private companies and researchers.

Daniel Pradelles, HP EMEA Privacy Officer

For more detailed information and background documentation you may visit http://www.privacyconference2007.gc.ca/workbooks/Terra_Incognita_workbooks_E.html
Posted 12-13-2007 12:05 PM by BlogArchive
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