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European Data Protection Supervisor: Opinion on Promoting Trust in the Information Society by Fostering Data Protection and Privacy

01 March 2010

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European Data Protection Supervisor: Opinion on Promoting Trust in the Information Society by Fostering Data Protection and Privacy (pdf) and "Privacy by Design" as a key tool to ensure citizens' trust in ICTs (Press Release, pdf). This Opinion is wide-ranging and sets out guidelines for "privacy by design" in everything from social networks to RFID to medical records and transport. Specifically in the area of EU Internal Security (Home Affairs) the EDPS argues that the same principle should also apply to the architecture for information exchange under the EU's Information Management Strategy.

Tony Bunyan, Statewatch editor, comments:

"There is little sign that the law enforcement and internal security agencies are prepared to accept such constraints, particularly as the Stockholm Programme states that: "When it comes to assessing the individual’s privacy in the area of freedom, security and justice, the right to freedom is overarching... (however) It must also foresee and regulate the circumstances in which interference by public authorities with the exercise of these rights is justified". Given the EU's track record when it comes to balancing freedoms and privacy with the demands of security it is not hard to foresee the outcome.

The "principle of availability" of all information and intelligence (which may be hard or supposition), the interoperability of state databases, automated access to personal data, the systematic trawling of open sources, the acquisition of data gathered by business, the recording of travel and all telecommunications is already widespread and growing by leaps and bounds. When it comes to EU and national state agencies "privacy by design" is likely to be a non-starter."

See also: Towards Trustworthy RFID Security and Privacy by design: Stephan J. Engberg (pdf)

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