Interesting People mailing list archives

more on Data for those who have the power to request it


From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2007 13:38:37 -0500



Begin forwarded message:

From: Konstantinos Stylianou <stiliamail () yahoo gr>
Date: January 13, 2007 11:12:43 AM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] Data for those who have the power to request it

Hey all,

Just a short comment about the boston article as a greek lawyer. It is not perfectly correct that the information systems in this particular case are stretched beyond their intended uses. The relevant decision of the Hellenic Data Protection Agency (58/2005) according to which only the Traffic Agency can collect, retain and process videocamera data and exclusively for use of traffic regulation, clearly states that "in case of a special emergency the collected data can be used for other purposes as well, but only after an expressly permission by the Data Protection Agency [...] and only under the condition that there is no violation of the fundamental rights of the subjects depicted" (dec. 58/2005, para 3B). And, although the Police (nor any other public entity) has access to the data, cooperation between the Police and the Traffic Agency is not out of the question. It is one thing to protect citizens and another to produce law, so rigid and inconsiderate of special circumstances that takes us to the opposite direction.
Thank you.

David Farber wrote:


Begin forwarded message:

From: Andy Oram <andyo () oreilly com>
Date: January 13, 2007 8:06:01 AM EST
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Data for those who have the power to request it

Because the subtleties of privacy legislation are a popular
topic on your IP list, readers might be interested in a
paragraph buried in today's AP report on the bombing of the
US embassy in Athens (I found it in my local paper):

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2007/01/13/ greek_militants_blamed_in_rocket_attack/

The paragraph with the privacy implications reads:

   The government said it was seeking permission from the
   courts to view video from traffic cameras, which under
   Greek privacy laws is officially excluded from the police
   investigation.

Although I'd like to see the bombers caught, I'm leary of
the tendency to stretch information systems beyond their
intended uses. There's also an important imbalance of power
involved. If the police and US embassy get their way, it
will show that powerful forces can bend privacy laws--but
other people can't. If I come to my parked car and find a
dent in it, will I pursuade the courts to let me look at
traffic photos?

And even if information is open to all (if anyone could go
on the Web and view footage from traffic cameras) this would
benefit governments and large companies over
individuals--whoever has the power to act on information.

I've written about this before:

http://www.praxagora.com/andyo/professional/p3p_promises.html

in the section "Technology Is Not the Problem--Power Is."

Andy


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